British Coins

Edward the Confessor (1042-1066), Penny, Facing Bust type, Wallingford, Beorhtmær, brihtmær . on pa, 1.05g/12h (cf. Freeman 39; BMC 1292; N 830; S 1183). Obverse struck from a blundered ‘blacksmith’s’ die, a little crimped, otherwise better than very fine, extremely rare £600-£800

DNW Auction 86, 17 June 2010, lot 916

While the reverse die is unequivocally from an official source, the obverse is a mystery. The possibility of it being a forger’s die coupled with a stolen official reverse seems unlikely since the weight and apparent fineness of the coin are correct, leaving no motive for forgery. More likely is an emergency die made in haste to replace a damaged one at a time when, for some reason, production could not be halted to await the arrival of an official obverse, perhaps from Winchester, where Brihtmær previously worked, or Oxford