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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;johnmilton, post: 25482778, member: 101855&quot;]<b>Stephen, Ruled 1135 to 1154</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“Stephen” is not the most common of male names, but during their nearly 1,000 year history of the modern British state, there has been only one king who had that name. Stephen was the son of one of William the Conqueror’s daughters. Since there was a surviving child of the previous king, Stephen had no right to the crown, but he usurped it.</p><p><br /></p><p>When Henry I died in 1135, his only surviving child was a daughter, Matilda. The Empress Matilda had been the wife of the Holly Roman Emperor and had had some experience in ruling a kingdom. She had the birthright to be the ruling monarch, but the nobles at that time were not about to be ruled by a woman. The wife of a king was a queen, but her political powers were limited. When the king was out of the country, the queen could represent him at events. She could even rule the country for a short time, but she could not rule on her own.</p><p><br /></p><p>The conflict between Stephen and Matilda resulted in the first English civil war, which was called “The Anarchy.” Ultimately the parties agreed that Stephen could rule for the rest of his life, but when he died, Matilda’s son, Henry would become king. The assentation King Henry II marked the end of the House of Norman and the rise of the Plantagenet Dynesty. The Plantagenets would rule from 1154 until 1399.</p><p><br /></p><p>All of the British coins that were made during this period were very low quality. These three pieces are a reflection of that. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1631192[/ATTACH] </p><p><i>This is an above average Stephen penny. It has a nice portrait.</i></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1631193[/ATTACH] </p><p><i>It is possible to make out part of Stephen&#039;s name on this one. </i></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1631194[/ATTACH]</p><p><i>The coins of the Empress Matilda are very rare and very fragile. A London dealer told me that they are &quot;impossible.&quot; He told a story about a Canadian customer who shipped one to him. When he opened the envelope, the coin was in worthless pieces. </i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>Another dealer, who is on the U.S. show circuit, told me about a piece he had 30 years ago. It was held together with museum glue, and he was sorry that he had sold it!</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>The piece above was auctioned by Heritage. I bid more than I should have, a low 5 figure sum, and didn&#039;t get it. NGC had certified it, but it was in a special holder that was like a sealed flip. It was too fragile to put in the regular NGC prong holder. </i>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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