The Vikings. Cnut of Northumbria (900-903) Cunetti type. Toned extremely fine. Obv: CNVT REX surrounding a Patriarch cross. Rev: CVNNETTI surrounding a cross and pellets. The Vikings require little introduction as they form an undeniable cultural and romantic force through much of Northern Europe during the viking age from the 8th to 11th century. Spurred by navigational technology and their dominance on the Baltic Sea, the Viking had expanded their influence through trade and conquest for centuries. The British Isles in particular was a favorite target where their expansion even saw the reigns of 2 Viking monarchs claiming the throne of England namely Svweyn Forkbeard and Cnut the Great. Prior to a formal reign, England was met by recurring invasions by the Vikings from Norway during the 10th century. They even established a local settlement in what is now York, East Britain. One such is the coin in this post. In 1840 a hoard of over 8,000 items (known as the Cuerdale Hoard) was found in Cuerdale, Lancashire, England. Around 3,000 Northumbrian silver coins bearing the inscription CNVT REX (King Cnut) were found as part of this hoard, indicating the existence of a previously unknown Viking King of Northumbria. Not to be confused with Cnut the Great, this Cnut was not mentioned on official records leading many theories as to his identity beyond numismatic evidence. Most concur though that he is probably a minor king among the Vikings who settled there. This coin is one of the identified types bearing the Cunetti inscription imitating the local Christian design. Though haven't been fully christianized, the Vikings felt it was expedient to adopt local iconography in their coinage probably for trade. Another theory was probable encroachment of Christian influence although there is little evidence to suggest that this Cnut or the Vikings embraced the faith. Nonetheless the design of this coin does show at least and understanding of Christian customs such as the adoption of the patriarch cross and the fact that CNVT was spelled top, down, right, left and REX in a clockwise direction -- simulating a Christian blessing.
Very nice and historic coin! If you like vikings, read the book "The Long Ships". It is very entertaining and gives a good overview of the times, viking philosophy, and the interaction of various cultures and religions. John
This book is fiction but it is based on many actual events and is very period correct. It is the most popular book in Sweden. It takes a while to get used to the vikings attitude that they would rather die in battle quickly than die slowly from illness "like a cow in the grass". When you think that life expectancy in the 10th century was 35, you can understand them and their sense of humor better. For example, the main character describes the best wedding in 10 years. The bride and groom got in an argument and the bride hit the groom over the head with a torch settimg fire to his head and causing a brawl to break out among the guests. In the confusion the church burned to the ground and six guests died but the bride and groom made up so everyone agreed it was an excellent wedding. Once you get used to this way of thinking the book is actually very funny. John
Great coin! I haven't seen that patterning of the legend before, very interesting. I second that recommendation. Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Stories series is also a lot of fun. The main character has divided loyalties between the Saxons and Vikings. Here is my only Viking coin, issued by the Vikings in Dublin: Sihtric III (Silkbeard) (995-1036), Phase II penny.
An interesting tidbit about this coin: the two dots behind the head are intentionally copied from a subset of the phase I coins, even though those two dots were in fact die flaws in phase I.
Another great coin @Loong Siew. The Cuerdale Hoard is one of the greatest Viking hoards ever discovered in terms of the number of objects, coins, and weight of silver. Im not sure where I read it, but one of the theories is that it was buried after the expulsion of the Danes in the early 10th century. Is your coin part of the hoard? @Theodosius I couldn't agree more about The Long Ships, it is a really fun read, and one of my favorite works of historical fiction.
Thanks @TheRed . I unfortunately did not have the provenance behind this piece. So i am uncertain if this was part of the hoard
Fascinating coin and a good pick-up. The Vikings also used Arabic silver dirhems and Byzantine solidi in their trading, based on the large numbers of these coins found along the Viking trading routes in the Baltic areas and up the rivers of eastern europe.
Yes. I read about that too. Based on what i gathered, These coins came into knowledge from that hoard. I have yet to come across other sources for them
