The story of the emporium at Quentovic is interesting and controversial in itself -- I really recommend S. Coupland's Trading Places: Quentovic and Dorestad reassessed, Early Medieval Europe, Nov. 2002 to anyone familiar with the theme of the maritime limes of the late Carolingian realm and not just from the uni-dimensional perspective of Viking encroachment and interconnection. AR23x22mm 1.13g silver grand denier, ca. 750-700/1000, Quentovic mint, ca. 950-980. + GRAT[IA D-I R]EX (legend starts at 9 o'clock); Carolingian monogram H R L S + QVVENT[OVVICI]; cross with bezant in 2nd quarter and annulet in 3rd quarter cf. Depeyrot 812, cf. Poey d'Avant 6591; Fecamp 6277-6323 At this time, around the middle of the 10th century and after, Quentovic's denier is based on the coinage introduced after the Edict of Pitres in 864, but with obvious 10th century characteristics, like a wider flan, the bezant and the annulet in the quarters of the cross and the variation of the monogram based on H R L S (or perhaps L H R S with a possible hint in the fact that the legend starts at 9 o'clock). The mint at the emporium of Quentovic minted these immobilizations extensively between ca. 920 and 980 and the coins were widely circulated from the continent to Anglo-Saxon England and (of course) Scandinavia. This specimen seems to be of the later part of the series, with lower weight and a less cared-for overall appearance, like flat strikes, legend variations and possibly over-used dies. Similar examples, very likely from the same general issue here, here, here, here etc. A similar coin was also in the De Wit Collection (Kunker 121 p. 88 245). In 'tresor de Fecamp' there were ca. 510 similar coins of different variations, dated mostly 920 to ca. 980 when the hoard was possibly closed (980-5, so the full extent of the 10th century mintage), in Anglo-Saxon England 6 similar coins were in the Cuerdale Hoard (Dhenin, Leclercq - The Coins of Quentovic from the Cuerdale Hoard in the museum of Boulogne-sur-Mer, BNJ 1982, pp. 104-7). A very interesting and problematic aspect regarding these very late immobilizations of the 'Edit de Pitres' denier deals with the authority that disposed the minting and benefited from the seigneuriage. With these very late issues where the monogram degenerated from the name of Charlemagne, replacing the C (and K) with an H, a hint could be in the reading of the 'new' re-worked monogram, which could be alluding to King Lothaire III of West Francia, which in turn could point to the influence and authority that Herbert 'le Vieux' de Vermandois (ally of Lothaire and the most powerful power broker in Picardie and the Flemish coast) had over Quentovic at this time. Herbert had coins minted with Lothaire's name (at Troyes for instance) while a re-worked Carolingian monogram for Lothaire keeping this basic and generic form, carried over from Charlemagne's time, is recorded to ca. 980 at Bourges (see here for an example). These circumstances would turn this coinage -- or at least this late phase of the series -- into a 'feudal' series, thus marking the difficulties of assigning issues to the end of the Carolingian period or the beginning of feudal coinage.
Whenever you think you know a lot about coins, something like this gets posted. I always enjoy reading your posts.
Thank you so much for the kind words. There are two main reasons why I post these small notes here: 1. because writing them helps me clarify my thoughts and my understanding of the periods I try to study through numismatics and 2. because these notes are usually so warmly welcomed although most of them are NOT about 'ancient coins'.
The location of Quentovic is still an ongoing conversation and the subject of some controversy, considering that by the 10th century when this immobilized coinage starts, the emporium was supposed to have been abandoned. The archaeological research started in the mid 1980s at La Calloterie on the Canche river adds the site to the possible candidates for the vicus, and the use of it until ca. early 11th century, instead of the 9th as seemed to be the general understanding from early medieval texts, allows also the 10th century issue of coinage (this late GDR type stopped ca. 980). If anyone is interested in more about La Calloterie being the ancient Quentovic, I recommend Quentovic defined which can be read here. And here is how numismatics probably helped in understanding the old emporium better (and extending its life), in Trading Places... the article I mentioned Saturday.
@seth77, this is Brilliant. Yes, stuck on the western coast of the US, with a correspondingly, nose-holdingly, apocalyptically poor educational background; having to buy every book I ever wanted that was still under copyright, I knew nothing besides the prevailing bs about Quentovic. Just pinned this, along with bookmarking it. ...Right, I have a couple of examples (no pics), which have always been of interest primarily as ...wait for it... 10th-c. immobilizations.
Post them when you get the chance. Also, have you noticed the similarities with the coinage of Dreux proper and Nogent-le-Roi from early to mid 1000s in terms of flan size, weight and overall feel? It's the kind of continuity that makes life hard for those who want to keep 'Carolingian' and 'feudal' into two neat and clearly separated boxes.
I really like your observation regarding the issues of Dreux and Nogent-le-Roi --minus enough examples to verify exactly what you're talking about. Sadly, along with the raft of other technological challenges I get to live with every day, I also don't have a camera that works. A whole lot of the collection exists without (ubiquitously dealers') pics. Sorry for that.
