Top 10 2020 (British medieval)

Despite the craziness of the year, I was able to make some major additions to my collection that I wanted to share. As a communicable disease specialist, this was a hard year for work, and I found some degree of sanity in coins (though my wife might think insanity more appropriate). I actually added a good number of pieces this year but will stick with the theme of "top 10". None of my coins are ancient. As in past, my main interest lies with British medieval coins, from Anglo-Saxon times to the early modern period.



Primary phase Anglo-Saxon sceat
Series W
Type 54
S.787
N.148
Abramson 108-20
O: Standing figure right holding two long annulet crosses
R: Cross croslet on saltire

This sceat completes my "alphabet soup" of sceattas. In the late 1970s, Stuart Rigold put together a classification on sceattas that was organized into alphabetical series, ex. "Series A", "Series Q", etc. The series arrangement is somewhat haphazard and the framework of the arrangement has showed its limitations with the multitude of metal detecting finds in the last four decades, but the categorization remains convenient and still in use. This is Series W, so called because of its origin in Wessex, the west Saxon kingdom with its centre in Winchester. This coin dates from the late 600s and early 700s. Wessex would be the only kingdom to survive the Viking onslaught of the 9th century and the rulers of Wessex would eventually become kings and queens of England.


Primary phase Anglo-Saxon sceat
Series E
Type 89
S.786
N.47
Abramson 93-10
O: Serpent with radiant quills coiled around a central cross
R: Central cross with crosses at ends, SEDE in angles

This rare coin does not fit well into the Rigold classification listed above, and is not given a series. It is probably from the same time period. It may have been produced in East Anglia, but this is not certain. The letters "SEDE" presumably suggest some ecclesiastic connection, but the true meaning has been lost over the centuries


Penny of Beornwulf, king of Mercia 823-826
Moneyer: Eadgar
Mint: East Anglia, possible Ipswich
Group III
S. 930
N. 396
Naismith E22.1
O: +DEORVVLF RE
R: EAD +.+ GAR

A penny of the little-known king of Mercia, Beornwulf. The Mercian kings since the time of Offa in the mid-late 8th century had held dominance over East Anglia, but it was always a bit shaky after Offa's death. In the 820s a strong local leader of East Anglia named Aethelstan took charge and threw off the Mercian yoke. Mercia tried to re-establish control, but was unsuccessful. Beornwulf, having only held the throne for about 2 or 3 years, was killed in battle with the East Anglians, and his successor Ludica also met the exact same fate a few years later. Because of this, and probably due to a lack of mint resources outside of the disputed East Anglia, coins of Beornwulf are very rare.


Viking penny in the name of St. Eadmund ca. 895-918
Moneyer: Remigius
Mint: unknown
S.960
O: +SC EADMVD RE
R: +REMIGIVS ME F

Edmund (or Eadmund) was the last king of an independent East Anglia. Despite the success in the early 9th century against Mercian overlordship, East Anglia unfortunately became fell victim to the Viking conquest of the 860s and 870s. Edmund died at the hands of the Vikings. Whether it was in battle, or otherwise is not clear. Edmund was venerated as a saint following his death. The later tradition was that he was captured and killed with a volley of arrows, and the hagiography states that (like with many other early Christian martyrs) it was because he refused to renounce his faith. The town of Bury St. Edmund's in Suffolk, UK, is supposedly where he was laid to rest. Interestingly, after his death, the Vikings did not try to stamp out his cult, nor vilify Edmund's legend. Rather they rolled with it, incorporating the St. Edmund idea into the coinage. Kind of a bizarre turn of events, for the Vikings to be commemorating a person whom they slew, but history sometimes has these odd paradoxes.
This is a common coin, due to a number of hoard finds. What makes it special to me is the way the moneyer signed the back, "Remigius Me F(ecit)", or "Remigius made me". Unlike the moneyers of English coins, whom were almost exclusively Anglo-Saxon, the Vikings brought in skilled professionals from all over, and this can be seen in the names on the coins, which are Saxon, Nordic, Frisian, German, and Frankish, and probably others. The person Remigius was almost certainly from the continent and the "me fecit" suggests his natural tongue was Latin. The fact that the coin says on the back that someone "made me" is also a cute inscription and much a historic relic.



Penny of Æthelwulf, king of Wessex, 839-858
Moneyer: Liaba
Mint: Canterbury
S. 1047
Naismith C114.1e (this coin)
O: +EÐELVVLF REX
R: +LIABA MONETA

Æthelwulf was king of Wessex at a time when the Vikings were starting to raid England, but before the massive invasion armies started knocking out the other petty kingdoms of England. He was remembered as a pious king, who went on pilgrimage to Rome. Generally "pious king" is medieval codeword for "useless ruler" but Æthelwulf appears to have been generally an effective leader. He had five sons, but it was his youngest, Alfred, aka. Alfred the Great, who would become the most remembered of the Saxons.



Penny of Eadward "the Elder", king of Wessex, 899-924
Moneyer: Beahred
Mint: London?
S. 1084
O: +EADVVEARD REX
R: BEAH RED Mo

Edward, called "the Elder" by later historians to distinguish him from other later rulers named Edward, was not particularly elderly (perhaps dying around the age of 50) nor was he considered an adroit statesman. However, Edward, the son of Alfred the Great, continued his father's success in uniting England and driving back the Vikings.
Portrait and nonportrait coins were produced for Edward and many of the Saxon kings.



Penny of William I, king of England 1066-1087
Moneyer: Ælfnoth
Mint: Shaftesbury
Sword type
S. 1255
B.M.C. 6
O: +PILLELM REX I
R: +ALNOÐ ON SIEFTSB

William I, the Conqueror, was the first of the Norman kings. He took the kingdom following the Battle of Hastings, and the defeat and death of Harold II Godwinson. William had a relatively easy time taking over, though he would continue to have troubles with rebellion throughout his reign. He built the still-standing White Tower, the main central building in the Tower of London, and one of the main tourist destinations if you happen to be able to travel to London some day.
William has a number of different coin designs, including one that says "PAXS" for peace, and others that show William crowned in his splendor. I decided though that for my example, it was most appropriate to get the one with him holding a sword.
You'll forgive the picture on this one. The coin is darkly toned and in my effort to bring it out a little, I ended up with a sickly green hue from the fluorescent bulb.



Penny of Henry I, king of England 1100-1135
Moneyer: Wulfgar
Mint: London
S. 1275
B.M.C. 14
O: +hENRICVS REX
R: +PULFGA[R O]N.LVNDE

Henry I, called Beauclerc by later historians, a son of William the Conqueror and brother of William II. His brother died in mysterious circumstances during a hunt, where he was shot by an arrow through the chest. Suspiciously, Henry was along for the hunt as well, and immediately raced to Winchester to claim the treasury and make himself king. Whether Henry killed his brother is of course not known, but Henry did not always play nice with family, later taking over the duchy of Normady and leaving his brother Robert the duke in prison for the rest of his life. Henry's coins are generally of very poor quality, with irregular flans, poor strikes, and debased silver. It's rare to find a coin of Henry with a reasonable portrait.
Henry is remembered for his harsh treatment of the moneyers. In 1124 he recalled all his moneyers to account for their substandard coins. Presumably he didn't really care about the portraits, but was not happy about the debased silver or lightweight flans that were leading to a lack of confidence in the currency. He supposedly took the moneyers whose coins were substandard and mutilated them, cutting off their right hands and genitals! Coin quality improved only ever so slightly. However, it became standard for the coins to carry a rim cut to demonstrate the good silver quality as well as the full weight. This was done before the coins entered circulation. That cut can be seen at 3:00 on my coin and is present on virtually all late type coins of Henry I.



Groat of Henry VII (1485-1509)
Mint: London
Mintmark: cross-crosslet
Profile issue
3rd period
Tentative issue
S. 2254
O: hЄnRIC+VII+DI+GRΛ+RЄX+AGI’+Z+F'+
R: POSVI DЄV Λ DIVTOR Є’ mЄV

I'm jumping way ahead here with a groat of the seventh Henry, the first of the Tudors, and I'm a little outside of the medieval period now. Henry's initial coinage had a facing bust with a long cross reverse, which really was not much different than the coins made by Edward I all the way back in the 1200s. Coinage was fairly unchanged for a few centuries. But times were catching up. The Renaissance was in full swing, and it was time for a new coinage that demonstrated a more modern portraiture. Thus, the profile groat, with an attempt to portray Henry's features. The first type, the "tentative issue" seems to have the most accurate portrait, later types would become a little more stylized.



Groat of James III, king of Scotland 1460-1488
Mint: Edinburgh
Mintmark: cross fleury
Sixth (main) issue
S. 5288
O: IACOBVS DEI GRACIA REX SCOTR
R: DInS PROTE ORMET ERATO VIL LAE DIN BRVG

Much of my effort this year was directed toward adding to my Scottish coin collection. Scottish coins are generally thought of as a subset of British, and many of the medieval Scottish coins take inspiration from the contemporary English coinage. This of course goes along with the complicated history between England and Scotland in the pre-football and pre-Union days. Early Scottish coins of William the Lion and Alexander III are actually quite common, and the coins of Mary Queen of Scots and James VI are very varied and voluminous, with types produced in a variety of metals to fill many different collectors' interests. However, the coins between the high Middle Ages and the early modern period are quite a bit rarer and more challenging to dive into. A series of five kings named James made coins, and many of these pieces look very similar to each other. Medieval style facing bust groats and minors were produced for James I, James II, James III, and James IV, without any huge design difference, and it takes some deep study to learn the differences between them. However, during the time of James III a curious new coin emerged. Featuring a bust at 3/4 with realistic features, it, like the tentative groat of Henry VII pictured about, portrayed a realistic portrait of a king. A second rare issue of James III features another less realistic portrait but is the first Scottish coin to depict the well known symbol of Scotland, the thistle. (I actually obtained an example of this type as well this year but it didn't make the top 10 list).

 

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Great coins! I really like the sceattas and William the Conqueror. Looks like you added some interesting quality pieces to your collection.

 

@Nap, anything I might say would inexorably invlove expletives. So Just Never Mind. Except, Just Forget it. You're just that good.

 

«Kind of a bizarre turn of events, for the Vikings to be commemorating a person whom they slew, but history sometimes has these odd paradoxes.«

It is, but it also rhymes with the warrior code of the vikings. Dying in battle was considered very honorable, and the Valkyries would take you straight to Valhall.

 

Not really my area, but a very nice group of coins. My favorites are probably the first coin (for the weird stick-figure guy), William I (obvious historical relevance), and the last (that portrait is so goofy that I am forced to admire it).

 

@svessien, in England, the same sort of thing persists well into the 13th century (...from what I pay attention to), when Angevin kings start naming their kids (Edward) after Anglo-Saxon saints. ...Part of our communal pathology, I guess.

 

Wow, talk about a fantastic top 10! I really dig the specialist approach you are taking and since @Roerbakmix constantly bombards me with his latest Sceatta additions, these enigmatic coins have certainly become enthralling...

The SEDE sceat is fantastic, although my personal favourites would have to be the St. Eadmund and the Aethelwulf penny. And you rarely see such a well-struck Henry I and Henry VII!

 

Well done, congrats, @Nap

 

I would have to say the Eadward the Elder piece is my favorite. It's a really nice coin for the era.

 

I’ve been looking forward to your list @Nap! Love the Beornwulf and Edmund - looks like a fantastic year coin wise

 

Interesting and nice coins. Thanks for sharing!

 

Just WOW. Those are all amazing coins... my favourites are the series W, the Beornwulf, the Aethelwulf, and that incredibly nice Henry I. Bonus points for the (as Parthicus says) goofy portrait of James III!

Can we please see the thistle groat too?

 

Excellent series, some weird portraits all around.
I assume poor Henry VII having a stiff neck at the end of the day after he's hold such a big crown upon his head !

Q

 

Great coins, and a great write up. I particularly like the series W Sceat.

 

Terrific stuff. That Henry l is exceptional for Henry l !

 

Wow! Those are awesome acquisitions, Nap! Congratulations! My favorites are the Primary phase Anglo-Saxon sceat, and the Eadmund. I have quite a few Roman silvers that hold no interest for me, and I think I'll sell those and start a British Medieval collection.

 

Great coins @Nap what a wonderful year of acquisitions. My favorite is your penny of Henry I. It has one of the best portraits of him I have seen. Congrats on the coins, I would love to see 11-20.

 

I second the above!

 

I will put some of the other coins that didn’t make the list in the “Medieval Monday” thread

 

Love those Medieval coins, esp. ones from the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms. Poor Saxons had to deal with the Vikings, then the Normans. Excellent additions Nap
John