The Braintree Hoard of Late Anglo-Saxon Pennies

Harold II (1066), PAX type with Sceptre, Penny, Worcester, Vikingr, Gp A var., +narold rex anglo:, rev. picing on pihri, 1.35g/3h (Bt 118, this coin; Pagan, NM p.198 [two examples noted]; BMC –; SCBI Glasgow 1219, same dies). Die shift, otherwise extremely fine, crisp fresh metal; the mint extremely rare in this reign £2,000-£2,600

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Braintree Hoard of Late Anglo-Saxon Pennies.

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Struck from the same dies as Braintree 117

In general terms the dies used to strike the present coin (and the following die duplicate) adhere to Pagan’s group A; indeed, they are described as such by that author. However, we might note several areas of deviation; king has short as opposed to long fillets; the first letter of his name has been rendered as an ‘N’; and finally, on the reverse, the frame above and below ‘PAX’ is rendered by plain lines, a characteristic normally associated with group D. All of these features are irregular and allow the possibility that the dies used to strike this coin were not engraved at one of the ‘national’ workshops. The responsible moneyer, Vikingr, also employed at this time another obverse die of remarkably crude style (EMC 2004.0228). Pagan notes that moneyers situated within the East Midlands had problems sourcing London-made dies, and turned instead to using dies of local manufacture; perhaps this disruption was felt at Worcester also.