2016- my ten coin year in review (British Anglo-Saxon coins)

2016 - My 10 coin year in review

As the year draws to a close, it's nice to reflect on the acquisitions I've been fortunate enough to pick up. These are all British Anglo-Saxon:


Anglo-Saxon primary phase sceat, ca. early 8th century
Unusual type with a stepped cross design that degenerated and on this coin looks more like a sunburst. The "porcupine" design is found on Series E sceattas, which are Frisian in origin, though several British designs copy this, as would be expected given the trade between these societies.




Anglo-Saxon secondary phase sceat, ca. early 8th century
Monarch: unknown (possibly Ine of Wessex)
This "Woden" head coin comes in multiples styles, with anywhere from 5-12 annulets around the face. While the face is purported to be a representation of Woden, or Odin, there is no particular reason it must be.
The type was manufactured in Hamwic, a port city thought to be modern day Southampton. This area was developed during the time of Ine of Wessex, and that ruler may have made it his seat; not surprisingly coinage took place there. Hamwic was the first Channel port of the expanding kingdom of Wessex, and provided a site for trade with the Franks and Frisians. This particular coin is probably from the period of 720-740.
Surprisingly, while there was certainly continental trade through Hamwic, this coin type has not been found in any great number outside of the Hamwic area. Perhaps this was an internal coinage for the merchants of England, and other coins such as the series E "porcupine" sceat were for international trading.




Sceatta of uncertain origin, approximately 730-760 (London)
This unusual sceatta has mostly been found in East Anglia, suggesting its manufacture was in that region. The inscription is probably meant to read "LVNDONIA" and is possibly copied from other coins that read "DE LVNDONIA". The moneyer was likely illiterate as the majority of these coins appear blundered.
The figure on the back, holding the two crosses, and standing on what appears to be a (very small) boat, may be a missionary teaching Christianity to other peoples somewhere across the North Sea or English Channel. The reverse appears on other sceats, such as coins of series K.




Anglo-Saxon Series Z sceatta
This unusual sceatta was probably produced in Kent or East Anglia, and the bearded face is probably Christ. The reverse is a skinny quadriped, with a curled tail circling through its legs.
The origin of this design seems to have heavy Roman and Byzantine influences. The obverse bust parallels similar images of Christ found on contemporary Byzantine coins and Christian tokens that pilgrims would have brought back from the Holy Land. The face has a fairly haunted appearance, and is expressionless.
The reverse is a little more tricky. Anna Gannon (Coins, Images, and Tales from the Holy Land, in Studies in Early Medieval Coinage vol 2) suggests that it represents a stag, which would have had a religious meaning. In my opinion, however, even with the primitive art of the time, it's hard to call that a stag, as the small linear "horns" really look more like ears. Other scholars call the creature a hound or wolf, with origins in Celtic imagery (such as the "Norfolk wolf", which is also of East Anglian origin). Alternatively it has been suggested (Charles Wood, private correspondence) that the creature might be a crude copy of the Roman wolf, nursing Romulus and Remus, as appears on many earlier Roman coins. This imagery occurs on a later East Anglian coin, that of Aethelberht II. The East Anglian ruling dynasty in the 7th century was the Wuffingas, a name that probably means "kin of wolves", and the wolf may have been a representation of the dynasty.
This coin probably dates from the early 8th century. The legends are illegible, and could be erroneous copies of Greek, of which the Anglo-Saxons would have presumably known little.




Sceat of Aldfrith, king of Northumbria 685-705
Aldfrith was the first king of Northumbria to issue coins in his name. His coins depict an animal of crude style, probably is supposed to be a dragon. It is different than the animals on mid 8th century Northumbrian coins of Eadberht, Alchred, Aethelred I, and Aelfwald.
Due to this difference, for a while the coins were attributed to a king of Lindsey of the same name, who flourished in the late 8th century. However the archaeologic evidence, coin composition, and distribution of metal detecting finds argues against this idea. Most experts consider this coin struck for Northumbria's Aldfrith.




Sceat of Aethelwald Moll, king of Northumbria 759-765 with Ecgberht, Archbishop of York
Aethelwald, also called Moll, was a nobleman who ascended the throne after the murder of King Oswulf, which he may have orchestrated. He was deposed after some years, and went to a monastery. His son Aethelred I would later become king in Northumbria.
Despite a rule of 6 years, coins in Aethelwald's name are excessively rare. Until quite recently, this coin was the only one known. It depicts the name of Aethelwald, with the archbishop's name on the reverse. Due to the odd spelling of Aethelwald's name, there has been some controversy as to whether the name is supposed to be a variant of Alchred, Aethelwald's successor who also struck coins with Archbishop Ecgberht. Most experts (including Abramson, Booth, Lyon, and Stewart) now accept this as belonging to the former monarch.
There are 5 coins of Aethelwald Moll known. Two others, like this one, were struck with Archbishop Ecgberht. The other two are inscribed with Aethelwald and his son Aethelred. The ancient chip makes the coin easily identifiable.
This particular coin carries a long provenance, and has been depicted in multiple publications on Northumbrian coins, dating back to the 1840s. It is pictured in Numismatic Chronicle Vol. 3 (1841), Numismatic Chronicle Vol. 9 (1869), Sceattas in England and the Continent (1984), and Numismatic Chronicle Vol. 151 (1991).




Sceat of Aelfwald I, king of Northumbria 779-788
Aelfwald I was a little-known king of Northumbria during the turbulent late 8th century. He was descended directly from Eadberht, and probably had a greater claim to the throne than his predecessor, Aethelred I. Aethelred, of the house of Moll, he (or perhaps his regent) was recorded as being harsh, and was deposed in 779; he was probably a child during his first reign and was exiled rather than put to death. Aelfwald was king for nearly a decade, though nearly nothing is known about him. He met his end through assassination, as did many of the rulers of his time. His sons were later put to death by Aethelred after his restoration.
Despite a relatively long reign, coins of Aelfwald are quite rare, they seem to be more so than Alchred, though slightly less rare than the animal type of Aethelred's first reign. His name is spelled in various ways on his coins, sometimes with a few runic letters (but not all in runic). They can be found with the beast facing left or right.




Sceat of Aelfwald II, king of Northumbria 806-808, moneyer Cutheard
This rare coin, in the name of "Aelfwald" (with the A runic) most likely belongs to the short and poorly documented reign of Aelfwald II, who gets a short passage in Roger of Wendover's "Flores Historiarum" and a few other semi-contemporary pieces. He succeeded Eardwulf, and only reigned 2 years. Eardwulf may have had a second reign following this, or the throne may have passed to Eardwulf's son Eanred.
There has been some debate as to whether this rare issue belongs to the first (779-788) or second king (806-808) named Aelfwald. The most conclusive evidence seems to be the style of the name of the moneyer Cutheard. Cutheard coined for Aethelred I, Eardwulf, and Eanred. On coins of Aethelred, his name is spelled "CVDHEARD", on Eardwulf it is spelled "CVDHEARD" or "CVDhEART", and on Eanred it is spelled "CVDHARD". On all coins of Aelfwald, the name is spelled "CVDhEART". This supports that the coins are more likely to be semi-contemporary to coins of Eardwulf, during whose reign the spelling seems to have changed. This fits better with an assignment to the second Aelfwald. For more info, see Blackburn & Gillis, "A second coin of Eardwulf and the attribution of the moneyer coins of King Aelfwald" in BNJ 67.
Coins of Aelfwald II are very rare, with 11 documented on the Early Medieval Corpus, and a handful of others which have not been listed, such as this one. Besides Cutheard, there are 2 coins of Aelfwald II known by the moneyer Cuthgils, who also coined for Aethelred I.




Styca of Eanred, king of Northumbria 810-841, moneyer Aethelheah
Eanred was one of the longest reigning kings in Northumbria, and though little is known of him, his reign seemed to be one of relative stability.
Aethelheah, considered the normalized name of "Edilech", was an early moneyer for Eanred. His career seems to have been quite short, as his coins are the rarest of all moneyers in the styca series. This coin was one of the last ones I needed to complete the set of all moneyers.



Styca of Redwulf, king of Northumbria 844, moneyer Coenred
Redwulf was a Northumbrian usurper during the turbulent period of Viking raids. He held power for less than a year, so his coins are fairly rare, but they were struck by at least 10 different moneyers. Redwulf led his army against the Vikings and was killed in battle, an unusual thing for these despots, who typically met their ends by assassination.
Coenred was an episcopal moneyer who struck coins for Wigmund, archbishop of York, as well as for Kings Aethelred II and Redwulf.

 

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Great group of sceattas, Nap. Sceattas are fascinating to me, and I think, despite the several books that have been recently published, a coinage ripe for further study.

 

There is not an emoji with enough drool to convey my awe. Well done sir! Those are absolutely fantastic and some incredibly rare!

 

Very Cool !!

Not an area I've been involved with yet but the first three just jump out at me....and that's always enough reason for me to chase a coin with a bid at auction

 

I'm not very familiar with the coinage, so the write-ups were a treat to read! Very interesting to say the least.

 

Awesome coins and very interesting histories. I am totally unfamiliar with this coinage and found your post fascinating. Thanks.

 

Here's one I forgot, as an honorable mention.

It is not a coin per se, but a mold for Chinese Ban Liang coins. Approximately 2nd century BC

 

Beautiful stylized designs!

 

Nap, you've done extremely well; lovely examples of interesting and beautiful (in my opinion) early English coins from the so called 'Dark Ages'. You are one of the folk who are illuminating these times to the world of today, Very Well Done, I'm envious of your achievement. I'm trying to follow you, as I'm very interested in this area of collecting to. Now can I ever catch you up?? I'm still lusting after your Wiglaf of Mercia penny!!

 

Out of my area but awesome acquisitions. #2 and #3 have my preference

Q

 

Those are just great coins, and as @David Atherton said before I could post, it was a treat to read about them and the history!

 

Your post is a tutorial on coins of this region and period. Nice collecting focus.

John

 

Wow, those are very cool ... I love your sweet coin-avenue

 

Thank you for this thread. I have had some Anglo-Saxon coinage on my radar for the last few months and this is great info.

 

Wow, great coins and a fascinating read! Thanks so much for posting this. I have not yet expanded into this interesting area, but your coins and research make it very tempting.

 

what a strange, fantastic top ten list Nap! I think this one may be my favorite I've looked at this year!

 

Very neat coins!

 

These are all so cool.

 

Nice coins, OP.
I have a historical question regarding the saxons: did the saxons kill off the Romano-British celts or did they integrate them ? I ask because I was reading a study in Nature magazine were it said that nearly half of the men in England were direct descendants of the Saxons. Which begs the question of what happened to the large number of male Celts?

 

They were pushed to the fringes of the island and became the Welsh (ironically, 'welsh' means 'foreigner'...)