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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Nap, post: 3086252, member: 73099&quot;]Series K (K for Kent, although many other series of these coins are also Kentish), presents a figure that is among the finest in Anglo-Saxon artistic merit.&nbsp; There are several subtypes, but the gist of it is a diademed bust with strings from the headband knotted into the form of a triquetra on the obverse, with a wolf-like creature on the reverse.&nbsp; The wolf takes several forms, sometimes a large wolf head, sometimes a wolf head on a snake body, and sometimes a creature looking backwards.&nbsp; A variety that is sometimes designated Series K&amp;L depicts the same obverse with a reverse of a guy on a boat, similar to the reverse on my series L.&nbsp; This was a large series of coins, with many minor varieties and a decent amount of surviving examples.&nbsp; Despite being common, these coins are frequently quite expensive since they are of such high artistry.</p><p><br /></p><p>Series H (H for Hamwic = Southampton) was produced in a fairly contained area of southern England, and did not circulate much beyond this.&nbsp; There are a few varieties which exchange the face and roundels design for a celtic cross or a whorl of three wolf heads, but the main design is by far the most common and seems to have been an important part of local trade.&nbsp; The feature of the obverse is a central face with a number of pellets-in-circle surrounding.&nbsp; This number varies between 5 and twelve, and it is unclear if it had any significance.&nbsp; It seems unlikely to have been a mark of value, after all there really was no fiat currency at this time.&nbsp; The face is sometimes thought to be Odin/Wodan, but this is not conclusive.&nbsp; The character wears a mustache without a beard, and Odin was and still is typically portrayed with a long beard.&nbsp; The creature on the reverse is thought to be a peacock.</p><p><br /></p><p>As for the roundness, that&#039;s partly my fault.&nbsp; Many of these coins were photographed in Air-tite holders and the foam insert makes them look unexpectedly round.&nbsp; Most coins of this era are somewhat irregularly round.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>They really do look alien.&nbsp; Where&#039;s that guy from the History Channel?</p><p>Honestly though, while historians go to great lengths to show that the Anglo-Saxon people had complex trade networks, extending to France, Russia, Italy, and Byzantium, for most people the society was extremely insular.&nbsp; When the Vikings appeared in Northumbria in the late 8th century, it is recorded that dragons appeared on the horizon.&nbsp; These people were as otherworldly to the locals as green Martians would be to us.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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