Aethelred Reflection of Probus?

I just came across a post about Aethelred's (978-1013 A.D.) coins on Facebook and I was startled to see the coin on the right, which looks to me like an imitation of a Probus antoninianus complete with a radiate crown. I was wondering if anyone had information on this particular issue of English hammered pennies.

 

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I found this article which discusses the helmeted types. To quote from the article:

Æthelred’s Helmet Type pennies began to appear around 1003 and were minted until about 1009. The obverse depicts the king’s helmeted and armored bust facing left with the inscription + ÆÐELRÆD REX Λ(NG)L•. The reverse presents a voided long cross with a pellet at the center and a triple crescent or an uppercase Omega at the end of each cross-bar; the cross is superimposed over a square with incurved sides and trefoil at each point. The reverse inscription on the coin shown here reads + BУRHSIGE M’Θ BARD (Birhsige the Moneyer at the Barnstaple mint).

The armor that Æthelred wears on this coin is more typical of what a fourth-century Roman emperor would have worn than what a 10th-century Saxon king would have. The die engraver may very well have borrowed that part of the design from one of the thousands of Roman coins that have been found in England.

It appears that the King's long reign was greatly impacted by the depredations of the Vikings. In fact, the practice of paying the Danegeld to the Vikings was started under Aethelred.

His successor was the Dane Sven Forkbeard, though one of his sons, Edward the Confessor, would take power in 1042.

 

It's absolutely an imitation of Probus, with the shield (right shoulder) misinterpreted as chain mail. You could look at it as later, but natural continuation of the tradition of 'barbarous' radiates in Britain. Earlier, King AElfred was imitating LRBs on some of his pennies. ...If we're finding hoards every day, it's like, what about them? Independently of the further, fraught questions relating to the active circulation of Roman coins in the 9th and 10th centuries.
...This sort of connects with @ancient coin hunter's thread:
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/hoard-findings-back-in-the-day.377377/

 

Yep - perhaps they had an appreciation of Probus that we are not aware of now...
Very interesting!!

 

One of the things I am not seeing in the coin in question is the spear over the shoulder. If it is there, it is very fleeting. I imagine the die cutter probably just could not carve out such a small feature. With regard to the armor, it appears to be chain mail. The shoulder as @+VGO.DVCKS could be a type of blundered shield instead.

 

Just pulled the trigger on an example of the helmeted type.

 

@ancient coin hunter, Congrats!!! Vicariously enjoying your anticipation.

 

Thanks. I'll post a pic when it arrives.

 

Here’s a penny with a helmet on top of the head of Knut den Mektige, or Canute the Great (or «mighty», rather), King of England 1016-35, King of Denmark 1018-35 and «Overlord» of Norway 1028-35:



This pointed helmet doesn’t resemble the Probus style helmet, though. But I guess good old Knut couldn’t go without a helmet penny when the lesser Aethelred had one

Looking at the other penny types of Aethelred, I suppose they may have been inspired by 3rd/4th century Roman coins too:

 

Nice coin of Knut. On the Aethelred with copious hair, one imagines it could be a mohawk.

 

...It the latter case, I always think of Celtic coins first. (Cf. --No, Really-- @Ryro's thread: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ta...-was-still-a-hunka-hunka-burning-love.377514/)
...The only AEthelred long cross penny I have pics of is the first, and worst. Thanks to @svessien for posting a solid one.

 

The first coin, where the obverse has emperor holding the sceptre looks very similar to Probus holding a sceptre.