England: silver penny of King John, ca. 1213-1215, from the Gisors hoard found in Normandy

England: silver penny of King John, ca. 1213-1215, from the Gisors hoard found in Normandy

Obverse: Crowned head of King John facing, scepter to left. Obverse legend reads "HENRICVS", as John's coinage was struck bearing the name of his father, Henry II.
Reverse: Voided short cross; quatrefoils in angles.
Issuer: John Lackland, King of England (1199-1216).
Specifications: Silver penny, 17 mm, 1.22 g. London mint. Struck ca. 1213-1215. Moneyer: Walter on Lunde.
Grade: PCGS XF45, cert. #35075112.
Reference: PCGS-895746, North-975/1, SCBC-1354.*
Provenance: Classical Numismatic Group eAuction 413, Lot 722, 1/31/2018.* Purchased raw.
Notes: John's reign is most noted for the signing of the Magna Carta, which has had repercussions in modern government to this day. John is also known for having unsuccessfully attempted to usurp power from his brother Richard the Lionheart while the latter was away fighting in the Third Crusade. This coin was part of a large medieval hoard discovered in Gisors, (Eure) in Normandy in 1970. There is a very detailed booklet about the hoard from the British Numismatic Society in this PDF.
Comments: John's reign is also (fictionally) associated with the Robin Hood legend. I first learned about King John when I was a child fan of the 1973 Disney Robin Hood movie with all animal characters. In that, John was a cowardly lion and Robin Hood was a fox.



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Oh, yes! The king's lost treasure! Now THAT's a captivating mystery, isn't It?