AlexB
Registered User
Registered: January 2006
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 571
users gallery
|
Struck c.787-792AD Mercia, London mint. AR Penny 1.24g Portrait & Cross of Lobes type, 'light coinage'. Obv Bust right diademed Cc type with diadem, quadrafoil behind head above diadem, trefoil behind neck below it, 'OFFA REX' in front; Rev 'DUD' (Moneyer Dud(da)) in angles of a cross of lobes with small saltire botonnee in centre, 9 pellets spaced around the edge. S.905v, N.296v, CEB28, Chick24. Of the 295 coins recorded in the EMC/SCBI for this King, this moneyer is known for 18 coins of differing types, 15 at this mint, 1 at Canterbuy & 2 at 'unknown' mints. There is no other coin of N.296 recorded for him though 10 other portrait types are, mainly N.309. This coin is the third known specimen of (Derek) Chick 24. The second was recently recorded on the PAS (KENT-1C89E2) round though badly corroded. It is from the same dies. The other coin is in Paris at the BN (but not listed at Fitzwilliam) with a 19th-century provenance (bought in 1886 from the dealer Feuardent but with no further details). I believe this is also of the same dies, so a rare coin indeed. For the moneyer DUD there are also coins under Eadberht Praen, Cuthred, & Coenwulf of good style likely to be of him post-Offa. Coins from Burgred and others of a more simple style, are much later and so likely a relative or sibling. This coin has a decidely 'Romanesque' style, unlike the other portrait issues. The diademed bust is reminiscent of one of the Emperors' Constantius or Theodosius on their late issues some 400+ years before. That Offa would have seen Roman coinage or have the power to make such a bold allusion seems in little doubt. Toned, with some edge chipping. Excessively rare (3 known examples). Heavy dirt on coin, green/brown in colour cleaned in distilled water revealling silver/silver sulphide base. Sent to Dr Martin Weaver (www.mweaver.co.uk) for further work, the final result shown.
Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) find in Kent ref. CE7AE1 Feb 2006. Now also recorded by the Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge) EMC project as 2007.0181 by Dr. Martin Allen after correspondance. From the Medway estuary on the Hoo (peninsula) of All-Hallows. On the peninsula, Avery Farm was in Saxon times on the tip of a promontory which was an island in its own right belonging to the Saxon Heahburh. It is thought she may have been an Abbess, given that the farmlands that were then her property were part of the lands granted to the monastery at Peterborough by Caedwalla in the 7th century.
Offa took power in Mercia after the murder of his cousin King Æthelbald & a disputed succession with Beornred, in which he was the victor. He proceeded to extend the borders of the kingdom until it became the most dominant in the land, covering most of the territory south of the Humber, including London, Wales, East Anglia and the Southern Kingdoms. All eventually paid him homage, including Northumbria & Wessex. He was the first English ruler to mint the silver penny (arguably!) the basis of early medieval English coinage, and the first to stamp his name on these coins. He forged a commercial alliance with the Frankish king Charlemagne, whom he considered himself an equal of, and was the first person the pope turned to when negotiating the position of the Church in England. His law codes were later taken up by Alfred the Great. Although England didn't yet exist as a unified nation, he was occasionally referred to in charters of the time as 'King of the English'. His supremacy was acquired violently. He is thought to have had Æthelberht, king of East Anglia, killed as well as several kinsmen to guaratee the succession of his son Ecgfrith. Ecgfrith in 787 was the first Anglo-Saxon prince to be 'consecrated' ie. annointed with holy oils as the future king. Offa's name is best known today for Offa's Dyke, a massive earthwork, built to keep out the Welsh, which runs from the River Dee in the north to the Severn in the south. It testifies to Offa being a king capable of deploying enormous resources. He dies in 796 whilst in Hertfordshire and, though it is not proven, he is thought to have been buried in a hurry at Bedford, as the closest Mercian stronghold.
The Mint of London - The capital of England on the River Thames, the first Saxon coins bearing the name of this mint are the gold thrymsas and silver sceattas inscribed 'Londuniu'. Although it is thought that some coins of Offa (such as this one) were struck there, the first pennies that can be definately attributed by legend to this town are those of Ecgberht with 'Lundonia Cviit'. Mr. Dolley believes that the main mint of England was transferred from Canterbury to London in 866. This coin of course predates that. Alfred fortified the town then and it became the national centre of resistance to the relentless Viking invaders. Source J.J. North Vol.1 'English Hammered Coinage'. Ex-KC2007.
|
Ancients.info - The Online Resource for Ancient Coins & Antiquities
