I just got this Athelred II penny from Rochester mint. It's a mint that does not show up often and it's pretty rare. It has a few peck marks but to me that adds to the history of the coin since it was likely done by Vikings to make sure they were solid silver. Athelred II AR penny, Rochester mint and Aelfheah moneyer. (997-1016 AD) Obv. ATHELRED REX ANGLO Rev. AELFHEH'M'ON ROFEC
Sigh. I wish medieval English coins were as affordable as Roman coins. Thanks to collecting coins, my knowledge of Roman history is better than my knowledge of medieval history, even though I'm a medieval lit professor. Maybe I can get my university to fund my habit.... Those are both lovely coins!
There are some very nice and affordable hammered medieval coins available. They do tend to be more scarce than Roman coins though. I get most of my English hammered coins from Halls Hammered Coins. His prices are as good or better than any and he's a very nice and helpful seller. A good place to start might be Edward I pennies. You can get some very nice coins for under $50 US. There are others as well. The Anglo Saxon and Norman coins do tend to be a bit pricey though.
I actually bought an Edward I penny *class C* from a old collection. Got an Edward I & Henry III I may get by this coming weekend.
Thanks for the tip! I will check it out. I do have an Edward III penny, but I'd love to build a small representative collection.
You also have to keep in mind that they were more crudely made than Roman coins. Your not going to get sharp, realistic portraits and we'll defined lettering on the earlier coins. The more realistic portraits didn't really start to appear until around the 15th century.
