Terrible British coins after William the Conqueror Part 2, Henry I

Henry I, who ruled from 1100 to 1135 is generally regarded as a good king. He was nicknamed “Beauclerc” (the good scholar) for his studies in Latin and English law. He was also an able administrator and diplomat.

One thing he didn’t get right was his coins. They were terrible. During his reign people thought that they were debased which lead a lot of the public to clip and test them. After they were clipped the coins became hard to pass. Henry noticed this and started the practice of having a “snick” cut into the coins before they left the mint. Therefore, with all of the coins defaced, that was all the public had to use.

Henry came down hard on some moneyers who were said to be debasing their products. One Christmas, he invited a number of them to London. Their “Christmas present” as the story goes, was that “they are taken thither and deprived of their right hand and the parts beneath …“ if you follow my drift. This gives true meaning to the modern phrase, “I’m going to get medieval on your … butt.” In medieval times and even up to the 19th century, cruel and unusual punishments were not unusual, which is why our founding fathers included language about that in the constitution.

Most all Henry I pennies are terrible. I have a rule of thumb. I won’t pay high prices for terrible coins. I filled my Henry coin slot with this piece. It’s obviously a ground salvage piece, and it would probably fall apart if I didn’t keep it in a coin cap, but it’s immediately identifiable. In this case I purchased the cheapest terrible and attributable coin that I could find.




Henry I had one son, William. In 1120 William, age 17, was going to sail back to England from France in “The Great White Ship.” Everyone was on board was rip-roaring drunk. As they sailed out of the harbor, the ship hit a rock and sank. All but one person on board was killed, including William. This left Henry without a male heir. This would cause problems in the next chapter of our story.

Henry really like lampreys, a blood sucking eel that was considered to be a great delicacy in the Middle Ages. Henry’s doctor warned him not to eat them, but he decided to enjoy a big plate of them anyway. After his meal, the king took sick and died within several days.

 

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How much did you get if for? And if you got it online from whom?
I'm kind of interested in medieval English coins, but I don't know any good suppliers, or costs.

 

Most of the time the dealers want over $1,000 for Henry I coins which not much better than this. I bought this at a show from Pegasi for a fraction of that.

 

I don't collect or know much about ancients but I must point out, most of these Henry I pennies are found by detectorists and it depends on the type of soil these coins have laid in for centuries before seeing the light of day.

Many are recovered from acidic soil which corrodes the coin.

I found one down my lane in 1998 when some drainage work was being carried out, the soil in my area is alkaline and the coin was superb condition.

Less than 12 inches from the coin I found a 1st century Celtic dagger pommel also in very good condition.

400 metres from my door another guy found an Iron Age sword in a field.

I should take up metal detecting again

 

That’s not too shabby of a Henry I! I had the same requirements for mine - write up on it was posted some time ago here.

 

That penny really illustrates how poor the quality of the coinage of Henry I could get @johnmilton I like it. Interestingly, Henry was aware of the problem, and had 94 moneyers mutilated due to the poor quality and fineness of coins they issued. I have a fewcoins of Henry I, and this is probably my nicest one.

 

Medieval English coins vary in cost based on monarch. The least expensive ones will be from Henry III and Edward I. Both men were on the throne for decades and minted coins by the millions. A Voided Long Cross penny of Henry III or a Long Cross penny of Edward I or II in VF condition can be had for under $100 without difficulty. Short Cross pennies of Kings Henry II, John, and Richard are going to be more expensive, with Richard being the most desirable, but can still be found for under $250, certainly less for Henry II.

Coins for kings Edward III, Henry VI, and Edward IV are also plentiful. Common pennies and their fractions are quite inexpensive, while groats and half groat will run into the 100s of dollars. Where the prices really climb are for the monarchs Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V. Coins of Henry IV are rare and command high prices. Henry V is expensive because of his popularity, and Richard II minted few pennies and groats/half groats.

The best source for prices is The Standard Catalog of British Coins, which is published annually by Seaby. A slightly outdated copy may run $30, but is a great way to learn about all of the types of coins out there.

Some of the dealers I have purchased from and been happy withare as follows:
Mike R Vosper Coins
York Coins
AMR Coins
Arthur Bryant Numismatics
British Hammered Coins
CNG
Halls Hammered Coins
Dix Noonan Webb
Davissons

 

Henry IV is the big sleeper. When I was working on my one of each king set, he was the really tough one, other than the kings you would expect, like Harold II.

When a dealer showed me a Henry IV penny that graded Fair-2 by U.S. standards for which he wanted $2,600 and told me it was "a bargain," I knew there had be a better way. There was. Despite the fact that this Henry IV gold noble was about double the price, at least it looks like coin, not a lump of metal with a shadow of head on it.