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<p>[QUOTE="Roerbakmix, post: 4677343, member: 100731"]Last week, I visited my parents, in the North of the Netherlands. My route from the coastal region in the West of our small country is more or less the Frisia region (Frisia Magna):</p><p><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Frisia_716-la.svg/220px-Frisia_716-la.svg.png" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>As per usual routine, even when visiting my parents, I check my regular sources for interesting coins. Nothing interesting popped up, until I checked my search string for Frisian coins (e.g. sceatta's, thrysma's, etc.): in a small city in Friesland (the relatively small remainder of Frisia Magna), a seller with a typical Frisian name offered a small collection of Frisian coins. One of those coins was a sceatta series E, variety G, with a nice black patina and a test cut (I like those test cuts. It decreases the value a bit, but adds historical significance - later more). According to the seller, it was found in Friesland as well (though the finder didn't want to disclose the exact findspot).</p><p><br /></p><p>Now some of you might have noticed my weak spot for sceatta's. These small silver coins, weighing between 0.7 (usually for single finds) to 1.2 grams with a diameter of ca. 10-13mm (most are around 11.5mm) are a topic of debate for the last few decades. Little is known with certainty. For example, of the staggering diversity of designs (grouped into series), with even more subtle and less subtle differences in these designs (grouped into varieties and even sub-varieties), only a handful come with a legend - of which the meaning is largely uncertain. Living in the Netherlands, I largely focus on sceatta's minted on the continent (ie series D, E and possibly: series G, the 'wodan monster' types, and a few others), with mint locations ranging from the coastal region of France to Danmark. Sceatta's were likely used primarily for trading, and stray finds of sceattas that were likely minted in England are found in the Netherlands, and vise versa, thus sparkling discussions on mint locations. Thus, debate on most sceatta's is ongoing, but two impressive studies on the series D and E have been at least solidified the standpoint that these two series were minted on the continent (metcalf&opdenvelde, Jaarboek voor Munten en Penningkunde - studies in English though):</p><p><br /></p><p>The Serie D</p><p><a href="https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/2003/2003a.pdf" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/2003/2003a.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/2003/2003a.pdf</a></p><p>The Serie E</p><p><a href="https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/2009/2009a.pdf" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/2009/2009a.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/2009/2009a.pdf</a></p><p><a href="https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/2010/2010a.pdf" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/2010/2010a.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/2010/2010a.pdf</a></p><p><br /></p><p>So back to my journey through Frisia Magna. Surprisingly, the seller lived in a small village nearby: only ten minutes by car (though I must say, in the Netherlands, everything is nearby. The longest distance between the most upper city (Groningen) and lowest city (Maastricht) is only about 330 km). So with my two babbling kids on the back seat, I drove through an idyllic landscape (not my photo's):</p><p><img src="https://www.frieslandwonderland.nl/beeldbank/BaukeFolkertsma/friesland/drachtstercompagnie6.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1151940[/ATTACH]<img src="https://smelneserfskip.nl/images/Monumenten/Rijksmonumenten/DrCompagnie_Smidswei52/SE_48_DC_Boerderij.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>... I mean: this <i>is </i>nice, isn't it? Sadly, I did not see the typical <i>Terpen</i> that can be found in Friesland and Groningen. Several (around 150) of them remain, scattered around the Frisia Magma territories.</p><p><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/hPLARXqHH5SlGBxrw0Qs10otODFLzaTnrDh6oiefK7gXvR38skdMnL-QnH84hivqTNloC-ijjRl6kbApGY6tSK7CTuBD9sNz-fLgsMA5C0LokjUXukXyx423Y8SnoAFbxeCwaMnoNZT_UmUH7nliq2LoIaY" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>Now, what are <i>Terpen</i>? Basically, a <i>terp</i> (or <i>thorp, </i>the dutch variant of the Germanic <i>thaurp</i>, similar to the current Dutch word for <i>dorp, </i>which translates to village) is an artifically dwelling mound that has been created to provide safe ground during storm surges, high tides and river flooding. Made from rubbish and personal waste over centuries, these <i>Terpen </i>could reach a height of up to 15 meters after centuries. The first <i>Terpen</i> where constructed ~500 BC, but following the sea level rise and migration periods in the fourth century AD, most were abandoned.</p><p><img src="https://www.joostdevree.nl/bouwkunde2/jpgt/terp_01b_zeer_groot_waterbodem_inspectie_leefomgeving_en_transport.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>... a <i>Terp.</i> Sadly, many <i>Terpen</i> were destroyed in the years c.1850-1950, because of the fertile ground these <i>Terpen </i>contained. In fact, my grandfather, who was a skipper, regularly transported this <i>Terpaarde</i> (fertile ground from <i>Terpen</i>). Though many exciting treasures were found, e.g. this one from Wieuwerd:</p><p><img src="https://historiek.net/wp-content/uploads-phistor1/2015/05/Goudschat-van-Wieuwerd-RMO.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>... many were likely lost, and the historical context destroyed.</p><p><br /></p><p>After about 150-200 year (550-600 AD), an influx of immigrants, likely from Denmark, inhabited these empty <i>Terpen</i> and formed, together with the remaining Friezen, a strong counter force for the expanding Frankish territory. In the period of c. 650-750 (the period of interest of this post), three main coin types were minted: <b>thrysma </b>(an imitation of the Merovingian tremisses. c 630-650), which gradually debased to the <b>pale thrysma </b>(containing about 35% of gold in 655), and finally, in c. 675 was superseded by the <b>sceatta - </b>all of more or less the same diameter but with decreasing weight due to decreasing concentrations of gold.</p><p><br /></p><p>After the death of the legendary King Redbad (Rêdbêd) (c. 680-719), the independence of Friesland came to an end, and Frisia became part of the Frankish empire. During the reign of this king (though even this title may be disputed), this sceatta was minted:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1151938[/ATTACH]</p><p>ANGLO-SAXON, Anonymous. Denomination: AR Sceatta (series E, variety G), minted: Frisia; 690-720</p><p>Obv: 'Porcupine' figure with small triangular beak, distal end not attached to spine. Spine is relatively broad and course, with nine spikes (ending in pellets( not attached. Distal end of spine (between the ends of the beak), a pellet. Three bellets at tip of the beak, below the spine. Under spine and parallel to the distal end of the beak, a standard with two pellets.</p><p>Rev: Square standard of line with dots, inside pellet within annulet, horizontal line above and below ending in dots on each side.</p><p>Weight: 1.16g; Ø:12mm. Catalogue: No diematch in The Monetary Economy of the Netherlands, c. 690 - c. 760 and the Trade with England: A Study of the 'Porcupine' Sceattas of Series E. Provenance: Found in Friesland; acq.: 07-2020</p><p><br /></p><p>As mentioned, he reverse shows a test scratch. This is unusual for sceattas. However, in a recent (2011) hoard near the village of Cothen (near Dorestatvs), 66 out of the 72 sceatta's in this hoard had test cuts on the obverse. Metcal and Opdenvelde hypothesize that test-cutting was a northern phenomonen, and "... presumably with the same sort of political and social context as the very widespread peck-marking of Viking Age coins found in Scandinavia." JMP 2014 - The Cothen hoard of porcupine sceattas and Merovingian deniers.</p><p><a href="https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/2014/2014-101b.pdf" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/2014/2014-101b.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/2014/2014-101b.pdf</a></p><p><br /></p><p>So, in a nutshell, some background on Sceatta's and Frisians. I bought another coin of the same seller, which I will post later (spoiler: it's not a sceatta!)[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Roerbakmix, post: 4677343, member: 100731"]Last week, I visited my parents, in the North of the Netherlands. My route from the coastal region in the West of our small country is more or less the Frisia region (Frisia Magna): [IMG]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Frisia_716-la.svg/220px-Frisia_716-la.svg.png[/IMG] As per usual routine, even when visiting my parents, I check my regular sources for interesting coins. Nothing interesting popped up, until I checked my search string for Frisian coins (e.g. sceatta's, thrysma's, etc.): in a small city in Friesland (the relatively small remainder of Frisia Magna), a seller with a typical Frisian name offered a small collection of Frisian coins. One of those coins was a sceatta series E, variety G, with a nice black patina and a test cut (I like those test cuts. It decreases the value a bit, but adds historical significance - later more). According to the seller, it was found in Friesland as well (though the finder didn't want to disclose the exact findspot). Now some of you might have noticed my weak spot for sceatta's. These small silver coins, weighing between 0.7 (usually for single finds) to 1.2 grams with a diameter of ca. 10-13mm (most are around 11.5mm) are a topic of debate for the last few decades. Little is known with certainty. For example, of the staggering diversity of designs (grouped into series), with even more subtle and less subtle differences in these designs (grouped into varieties and even sub-varieties), only a handful come with a legend - of which the meaning is largely uncertain. Living in the Netherlands, I largely focus on sceatta's minted on the continent (ie series D, E and possibly: series G, the 'wodan monster' types, and a few others), with mint locations ranging from the coastal region of France to Danmark. Sceatta's were likely used primarily for trading, and stray finds of sceattas that were likely minted in England are found in the Netherlands, and vise versa, thus sparkling discussions on mint locations. Thus, debate on most sceatta's is ongoing, but two impressive studies on the series D and E have been at least solidified the standpoint that these two series were minted on the continent (metcalf&opdenvelde, Jaarboek voor Munten en Penningkunde - studies in English though): The Serie D [URL]https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/2003/2003a.pdf[/URL] The Serie E [URL]https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/2009/2009a.pdf[/URL] [URL]https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/2010/2010a.pdf[/URL] So back to my journey through Frisia Magna. Surprisingly, the seller lived in a small village nearby: only ten minutes by car (though I must say, in the Netherlands, everything is nearby. The longest distance between the most upper city (Groningen) and lowest city (Maastricht) is only about 330 km). So with my two babbling kids on the back seat, I drove through an idyllic landscape (not my photo's): [IMG]https://www.frieslandwonderland.nl/beeldbank/BaukeFolkertsma/friesland/drachtstercompagnie6.jpg[/IMG] [ATTACH=full]1151940[/ATTACH][IMG]https://smelneserfskip.nl/images/Monumenten/Rijksmonumenten/DrCompagnie_Smidswei52/SE_48_DC_Boerderij.jpg[/IMG] ... I mean: this [I]is [/I]nice, isn't it? Sadly, I did not see the typical [I]Terpen[/I] that can be found in Friesland and Groningen. Several (around 150) of them remain, scattered around the Frisia Magma territories. [IMG]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/hPLARXqHH5SlGBxrw0Qs10otODFLzaTnrDh6oiefK7gXvR38skdMnL-QnH84hivqTNloC-ijjRl6kbApGY6tSK7CTuBD9sNz-fLgsMA5C0LokjUXukXyx423Y8SnoAFbxeCwaMnoNZT_UmUH7nliq2LoIaY[/IMG] Now, what are [I]Terpen[/I]? Basically, a [I]terp[/I] (or [I]thorp, [/I]the dutch variant of the Germanic [I]thaurp[/I], similar to the current Dutch word for [I]dorp, [/I]which translates to village) is an artifically dwelling mound that has been created to provide safe ground during storm surges, high tides and river flooding. Made from rubbish and personal waste over centuries, these [I]Terpen [/I]could reach a height of up to 15 meters after centuries. The first [I]Terpen[/I] where constructed ~500 BC, but following the sea level rise and migration periods in the fourth century AD, most were abandoned. [IMG]https://www.joostdevree.nl/bouwkunde2/jpgt/terp_01b_zeer_groot_waterbodem_inspectie_leefomgeving_en_transport.jpg[/IMG] ... a [I]Terp.[/I] Sadly, many [I]Terpen[/I] were destroyed in the years c.1850-1950, because of the fertile ground these [I]Terpen [/I]contained. In fact, my grandfather, who was a skipper, regularly transported this [I]Terpaarde[/I] (fertile ground from [I]Terpen[/I]). Though many exciting treasures were found, e.g. this one from Wieuwerd: [IMG]https://historiek.net/wp-content/uploads-phistor1/2015/05/Goudschat-van-Wieuwerd-RMO.jpg[/IMG] ... many were likely lost, and the historical context destroyed. After about 150-200 year (550-600 AD), an influx of immigrants, likely from Denmark, inhabited these empty [I]Terpen[/I] and formed, together with the remaining Friezen, a strong counter force for the expanding Frankish territory. In the period of c. 650-750 (the period of interest of this post), three main coin types were minted: [B]thrysma [/B](an imitation of the Merovingian tremisses. c 630-650), which gradually debased to the [B]pale thrysma [/B](containing about 35% of gold in 655), and finally, in c. 675 was superseded by the [B]sceatta - [/B]all of more or less the same diameter but with decreasing weight due to decreasing concentrations of gold. After the death of the legendary King Redbad (Rêdbêd) (c. 680-719), the independence of Friesland came to an end, and Frisia became part of the Frankish empire. During the reign of this king (though even this title may be disputed), this sceatta was minted: [ATTACH=full]1151938[/ATTACH] ANGLO-SAXON, Anonymous. Denomination: AR Sceatta (series E, variety G), minted: Frisia; 690-720 Obv: 'Porcupine' figure with small triangular beak, distal end not attached to spine. Spine is relatively broad and course, with nine spikes (ending in pellets( not attached. Distal end of spine (between the ends of the beak), a pellet. Three bellets at tip of the beak, below the spine. Under spine and parallel to the distal end of the beak, a standard with two pellets. Rev: Square standard of line with dots, inside pellet within annulet, horizontal line above and below ending in dots on each side. Weight: 1.16g; Ø:12mm. Catalogue: No diematch in The Monetary Economy of the Netherlands, c. 690 - c. 760 and the Trade with England: A Study of the 'Porcupine' Sceattas of Series E. Provenance: Found in Friesland; acq.: 07-2020 As mentioned, he reverse shows a test scratch. This is unusual for sceattas. However, in a recent (2011) hoard near the village of Cothen (near Dorestatvs), 66 out of the 72 sceatta's in this hoard had test cuts on the obverse. Metcal and Opdenvelde hypothesize that test-cutting was a northern phenomonen, and "... presumably with the same sort of political and social context as the very widespread peck-marking of Viking Age coins found in Scandinavia." JMP 2014 - The Cothen hoard of porcupine sceattas and Merovingian deniers. [URL]https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/2014/2014-101b.pdf[/URL] So, in a nutshell, some background on Sceatta's and Frisians. I bought another coin of the same seller, which I will post later (spoiler: it's not a sceatta!)[/QUOTE]
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