Gold coinage was an important part of late Medieval and early modern English coinage. Denominations such as nobles, angels, crowns, pounds, and sovereigns were produced from the 14th century until the modern era when precious metals were phased out of circulating coinage. However in the early medieval period, gold coinage was rarely produced. A few gold coins were tried, such as gold pennies of Alfred the Great, Aethelred the Unready and Edward the Confessor, and a gold penny of Henry III. But these were not widely used or successful coinages and these coins are known from only a minuscule number of rare survivors. However, in the misty past, there was a robust and diverse series of gold coins made in the early Anglo-Saxon period. From about 600 until 675, gold coins were produced in the fledgling Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, depicting a variety of imagery. At least a dozen types are known, with diademed busts, copies of Roman clasped hands and seated despots, and a variety of Cristian symbols. Gold was, and remains, highly desirable. The 6th century Sutton Hoo burial contains a number of gold coins, but all are post-Roman migration people and Frankish in origin. None are considered of English manufacture. However, in the next few decades, following the Christianization of England, a home coinage began to emerge. Initially a few gold medals, possibly meant to be ornamental, but then a series of coins known as the Crondall, ultra-Crondall, and post-Crondall gold coins emerged. These are called “thrymsas” but are really a continuation of the late Roman tremisses that were copied and imitated by the migration people and permanent settlers of continental Western Europe. In 1828 a large group of early gold coins was found in the south of England at a place called Crondall. This hoard of about 100 coins remains the largest find of early Anglo-Saxon gold coins ever found, and still comprises most of the known coins of this era. The entire hoard was ultimately acquired by the Ashmolean museum and remains intact in Oxford. It is mostly made of Anglo-Saxon coins, but there are a few Merovingian coins as well. Lord Stewartby classified the early gold coins as pre-Crondall (before 620), Crondall (620-645), ultra-Crondall (620-645 but not present in the Crondall hoard), and post-Crondall (645-680). This categorization has been challenged in recent years and I believe Gareth Williams is working on a new arrangement hopefully to be published soon. Still, the Crondall hoard is an important part of our understanding of these coins. This coin, not from the hoard of course, but found more recently, is an example of one of the Crondall types, the so called ‘EAN’ thrymsa. So named for the legible retrograde letters on the obverse, which stand out from an otherwise garbled legend. This is one of the “substantive” types, due to multiple examples in the hoard, though only one die for both obverse and reverse is known. Anna Gannon, in her book on iconography, notes that the bust on this coin features a Persian style bejeweled helmet, copied from the Constantinian era Roman coins, and likely represents a status symbol of old Roman glory rather than battle protection. Similar head adornments would also feature on later Anglo-Saxon sceattas. Four of these coins were in the Crondall hoard and are all from the same dies, as is this one. This may be the only example not in the museum. Other varieties in the Crondall hoard include coins with cross varieties, a type with a Moneyer “Witmen”, and a type with the name of Eadbald, king of Kent. These coins are believed to originate from Canterbury or London. Thrymsa, Crondall phase 620-645 Monarch: unknown, possibly Eadbald Mint: unknown, probably Kent 'EAN' type S.759 N.30 Crondall 91-94 EMC 2020.0360
