In 1994 I bought the coin shown below in a collection that came my way. At the time I was collecting English coins and this became the highlight of my collection. When I joined the PCGS forums in 2001 I selected "Aethelred" as my forum name. I sold this coin to a friend (maybe you know Lordmarcovan?) in July of 2013. However, since a number of people here were or are also PCGS members I kept that name when I joined this forum so they would know who I was. Needless to say I have missed the coin since it has been away. However, this weekend Lordmarcovan and his family came to Asheville for a visit and he made the mistake of bringing this coin with him. It wasn't easy, there was a lot of haggling, a complex trade involving cash, coins, pizza and the occasional threat of violence, but this coin belongs to me again! Unlike my ancient collection, my small collection of Medieval coins are all slabbed, so this one will remain in the PCGS MS-63 holder. Aethelred II Penny minted at Canterbury in AD 997. Spink-1151
LOL, ROFLMAO... Yeah, sounds like you two have the same friendship as I do with my childhood friend whom I met 50 years ago! FANTASTIC coin, GLAD you saw the light and acquired it BACK into your collection!
Man I'd love to have some of my old coins back such as my Caesar denarius! Beautiful example @Aethelred
That is a GREAT example. I notice that many of them have very similar peck marks, usually on the reverse. Any idea what is up with that?
Mine also has the peck marks. My understanding is that these were done to test the metal, probably by Vikings. (Aethelred made HUGE payments to them.) London mint, moneyer: Godric. Yours is very nice, but I think PCGS made a mistake. Surely it is MS64, not MS63.
I understand that these were paid to the Vikings as tribute and they tested the silver quality with the tips of their knives.
Currently reading "Saxon Tales" by Bernard Cornwell. Athelred is prominent in the series, but not in a very good light. I'm currently on book 7 of the 10 book series. Interesting read. I would give it a 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.
Love your coin @Aethelred ! The medievals that have been posted have got me considering collecting them as well.
Sweet coin. And now for some Old English trivia. Æthel is an OE simplex meaning “noble” (hence the OE term for a prince, “aetheling.” Æthel also survives as the female given name Ethel). Ræd means “counsel.” So Æthelred’s name means “noble counsel.” Æthelred II reigned for a long time but did not handle the Viking threat particularly well, hence his derisive name “Æthelred the Unready.” Unless one knows the OE meaning of Ræd, it sounds as if Æthelred didn’t have his shoes tied or something when the Danes showed up. But the name means “Æthelred the Poorly Counseled,” in contrast to his “Noble Counsel” name. The implication is that he was a poorly served King, and as a result, the Danes got the best of him and his government. At least this lovely coin didn’t end up in the greedy paws of some Viking warrior. At least not forever.
Maybe I was too hard on the book. Perhaps a 4 of 5 stars would be more like it. I really liked the first two or three books, but now it seems the same theme runs throughout the series with just minor changes. I will finish the series as it is still a fun story
I can see that, for sure. It may be that they're better read sporadically (when you need a Saxon/Viking fix) rather than all in one go.