Norman Kings
(see also “Saxon”
section for earlier English Hammered coins)
William The
Conqueror (AD 1066 - 1087). Norman King Read
about William I
WMH-7711:
William 1st
Hammered Silver Norman Penny. B.M.C.
1, Profile left, cross fleury issue of
1066-68. +BRIHTNAR ON PIN – Britmar of Wallingford (Oxford).
Spink 1250. A rare Norman
mint. Only two other examples recorded
on the EMC / SCBI database, making this the third and one of those is
unconfirmed. This is a better coin than
the other confirmed example. Ex Seaby (sold for £275 in 1979), ex Royal Berkshire
Collection – see
tickets. Nicely toned, good VF. A superb coin going all the way back to the
actual Norman invasion – Harold’s arrow to the eye, the Bayous Tapestry etc. £2,550
WMH-7949:
William 1st Norman
Kings Hammered Silver Penny. B.M.C.
II, Bonnet type issue of 1068-70.
1.28g. Obverse: +PILLEMV REX A,
reverse: +BRAND ON PALLIG – Brand of Wallingford (Oxford).
Spink 1251. A rarer type and a
rare Norman mint. Only three different
moneyers recorded on the EMC / SCBI database for BMC II / Wallingford, with Svertingr
being the most frequent moneyer by far.
VF with attractive steel-grey toning.
See here and
here for images of
the old tickets. With its provenance,
this is an impressive coin, being just what the market is searching high and
low for these days. £1,850
Provenance:
Ex Baldwins (sold for £55)
Ex J.D.A.
Thompson collection
Purchased
from Spink's dispersal of the J.D.A. Thompson
collection in 1972
Remaining
in the same collection from 1972 for the last 52 years.
WMH-7946:
William 1st Norman
Hammered Silver Penny. Canopy type,
1070-72 - B.M.C. III: +BRITHMAER ON PIIL – Beorhtmaer
of Wallingford (Oxford).
Spink 1252. A rare Norman mint
(much rarer for Norman compared to Saxon) and a rarer
early type for William 1st. £1,275
WMH-7350:
William 1st
Norman Kings Hammered Silver *Rarer Mint* Penny. B.M.C. V, Two Stars type: +PVLFPINE ON
PERIC – Wulfwine of Warwick.
A rare Norman mint with the very commonest of all the Warwick mint Norman coins starting at £1,250 in Spink
2022. This is clearly not a common type
coin. Only one example recorded on the
EMC / SCBI database, making this the second.
£1,850
WMH-7823:
Norman Kings
William 1st Official Dies Right Facing Bust Penny. B.M.C. VII, c.1080-83, Profile / Cross
& Trefoils issue, Spink 1256. +EDPI
[ON LIIN] - Eadwi of London.
Spink in their 2023, #1256 listing state: "lead die struck examples
exist from the Thames". The current theory is that because these were
struck from official dies, these were paid for passes or customs cheques
allowing travellers passage into central London.
Lead would not have survived 1,000 years unless it was preserved for all
of that time in the anaerobic conditions of the River Thames. I've had a couple of these in my time - one
of which accompanied by a very detailed Jon Mann ticket (Jon being one of our
foremost numismatic researches), but I think this one edges even that example by
grade. Much rarer than the silver
counterparts, probably more interesting in terms of the history, and yet a
fraction of the price. £695
WMH-7262:
William 1st
Hammered Silver Norman Penny – Rare Mint.
B.M.C. VIII – PAXS type, 1083-86.
Rare Bristol mint. This is the final issue under William 1st
with some current debate as to whether this issue overlaps into the reign of
William II. +BRIHTPORD ON BRI. Toned and graded VF on the modern
ticket. Spink 1257, North 850. Ex Seaby. Old tickets here. Very rare.
£1,195
William “Rufus”
II (AD 1087 - 1100). Norman King Read about William II
WMH-7689:
William “Rufus” II Norman
Hammered Silver Penny. Cross in quatrefoil issue (B.M.C.
II) of 1089–92 only. COLBERN ON PALI – Kolbjern
of Wallingford. Only x4
recorded examples on the EMC / SCBI database.
This coin from the same dies as SCBI Ashmolean 186, BMC 160 and Locket
1017, which I think must be a first for a coin with so few recorded
examples! 1.39 grams / 9h. Mis-struck on the
obverse, as is at least one of the four EMC / SCBI coins. Good provenance (see tickets) – ex A. Byde collection, ex C.J. Martin (1981), ex Royal Berkshire
collection. £1,950
WMH-7437: William II NORMAN Hammered
Silver Cross Pattee & Fleury
Penny. B.M.C. IV, 1095-98: +AEG(ELRIC ON) LNDI – Aegelric of
London.
Spink 1261. There are only x5
recorded examples of London mint B.M.C IV coins on the EMC
database which is entirely to be expected bearing in mind the rarity of this
type. Of all William II coins recorded,
including fragments, B.M.C IV and B.M.C V are the rarest with only 9% of the
population each. B.M.C I, which Spink
rate the rarest, accounts for 19% of the population. If you go back to 1919, so disregarding all
finds from the previous 100 years, B.M.C IV was 10%, B.M.C V was 8% and B.M.C I
was 23%. The numbers do not lie. A rare
coin. £1,995
WMH-7396:
William II
“Rufus” Hammered Silver Norman Penny.
Cross fleury and piles issue (B.M.C. V)
of 1098 – 1100 only.
+ASCIL.ON.[L]I[N]CO. Lincoln mint. Spink 1262.
Extra image here. This final issue is the rarest of all five
William II types, being only 9% of all recorded coins, including fragments and
mules, for EMC + SCBI. The EMC alone has
type V at 8% with the nest rarest, type IV, at 10%. Further, the money and type combination is
also rare. £1,995
Henry
I (AD 1100 - 1135). Norman King Read
about Henry I
Upon Henry’s death
at Rouen in 1135, Stephen, perhaps unexpectedly,
was pronounced king and immediately seized the royal treasury at Winchester.
William of Malmesbury stated it contained
£100,000 of “exquisitissimi denarii” – extremely
carefully chosen pence (although Latin scholars will be aware that denarii does
not equate to pence), which was a comment on the dreadfully low standard of
Henry 1st coinage.
Pennies
WMH-8126:
Henry 1st Norman Hammered
Silver PAX Penny. B.M.C. III,
PAXS type1103 only: +GE[RMAN]E ON GLIPE – Germane of Ipswich.
Spink 1264. There are only x26
results for all Henry 1st types minted at Ipswich on the EMC database - including cut
halves and historical entries with no images - but only x3 are Henry 1st
type III Ipswich and none are GERMANE.
Sold with an old auction information slip. An exceptionally rare coin, perhaps even
unique. £2,325
WMH-7666:
Henry 1st
Hammered Silver Norman PAXS Penny. A
desirable early issue, being B.M.C. III – circa 1103 only. +IIHGMII[ND O[N C]AN – Agmundr
of Canterbury.
A very rare type / mint combination, there being only two B.M.C.iii Canterbury pennies listed on the world famous EMC
/ SCBI database, this coin being one of them (EMC 2012.0295), the other being a
totally different moneyer. In effect, a
unique coin. The method pf photography
employed greatly enhances any flaws etc.
In this case, the flan cracks look off-putting. I would refer you to the images on the EMC /
SCBI database which literally don’t show them at all. They are not visible to the naked eye. Found Holme-next-the-Sea,
Norfolk, 2012, bought by Tim Owen, bought by
the Causeway Collection. A rare coin
indeed. £1,975
WMH-7438: Henry 1st NORMAN Hammered
Silver PAXS Penny. B.M.C. III, 1103 only: +S(PROT)ONSIIDPIR – Sprot
of Southwark. Spink 1264.
This is a unique coin – a new type for the moneyer with Sprot only recorded as money in Southwark under William II
and Henry 1st types I and II.
There are 488 results for all Henry 1st types minted at
Southwark but only x12 are Henry 1st type III Southwark so this coin
alone clearly shows Sprot continued his trade beyond
1102 and into 1103. Sold with an old
auction information slip. An
exceptionally rare coin. £2,325
WMH-7864:
Henry 1st
Hammered Silver Norman Penny. B.M.C.
VII, 1111 only: +EDPINE ON CATN – Edwine of Canterbury.
Spink 1268. Only one other
example (x2 entries but actually the same coin, and a particularly grim example
at that!) recorded on the EMC and SCBI database. Type 7 coins were actually struck after
type 9 coins but were still very much within the period where the mint was
required to officially test cut all coins (this practise commenced 1105). A very rare coin. £645
WMH-5672: Henry 1st
Hammered Silver Norman Penny. B.M.C. IX, cross in quatrefoil type,
1109 only. Mint and moneyer: DEREMAN of London. Official test cut done before the coin left
the mint - The reign of Henry 1st,
though stable and successful in many ways, coincided with a period of monetary
crisis, to the point where the general public had genuine concerns over the
quality of the coinage leaving the mint.
As a result of this, some of the public physically started to test the
coinage themselves which obviously hindered the acceptance of what was genuine
coinage even further. In a bold and
unprecedented move, the government ordered ALL coinage to be mutilated at
issue, thereby forcing the acceptance of damaged coins. This practice was ordered halfway through BMC
6 and it continued until BMC 14. It took
the form of an edge incision or “snick”, as seen in this coin. For those that are interested, the government
finally sought to put this problem to bed in 1124 by ordering a “purge of
moneyers” throughout England! From this we
get that the coinage of Henry 1st was not great in quality (even
type 15 coins, post purge, are generally poor) and that all coins from BMC 7-14
will have edge snicks. Rare coin.
£665
WMH-9039: Henry 1st Norman Kings
Hammered Silver Penny. Facing bust /
cross fleury type: B.M.C. X, circa 1117
only. +ALGAR:ON:SVT - Southwark (Surrey - on the south bank of the River Thames) mint
town. Only x1 recorded Southward type 10
penny recorded on the EMC database with this example (not a die match) being
the better coin. There are only x69
Henry 1st Southward pennies listed on the EMC database with just under half
that cohort being B.M.C. Southward is a
rarer mint for Norman coinage.
Unusually, there is no official test cut on this coin, adding credence
to a recent theory that not all coins were "snicked"
at the mint; rather just enough to get the message across to the counterfeiters
that they were very much aware of what was happening. Ask yourself this: when was the last time you
saw a counterfeit Henry 1st penny? Maybe
only one or two in several decades for me.
They were either very good at withdrawing counterfeits from circulation
back then or it wasn't nearly the problem that we think it was today. Spink 1271.
A rare coin. 
£965
WMH-7885:
Henry 1st
Hammered Silver Norman Penny. Facing
bust / cross fleury type: B.M.C. X, circa 1117
only. +BRAND ON CICES - rarer Chichester mint town. Only x3 recorded Chichester type 10 pennies recorded on the
EMC database and only x2 of those are BRAND.
There were only three moneyers working from this mint under Henry
1st. Chichester is a rare mint for
Norman coinage - interestingly the entire city, complete with minster, burnt down in 1114, which is somewhat at odds with
the coinage production - a trial run in 1105 with nothing until the type 8
coinage in 1113 where production was continuous through the types until 14
(c.1123). To further muddy the waters,
type 8 postdates type 9! Official test
cut at 3 o'clock, as they all should have, and beautifully toned. Spink 1271.
See old
tickets here: ex Royal Berkshire collection, purchased from Mike Vosper in
1999. A remarkable, attractive ad very
rare coin. £1,075
WMH-7440: Henry 1st NORMAN Hammered
Silver FACING BUST / CROSS FLEURY Penny.
B.M.C. X, 1117 only: +ALFRED ON PEVE –
Alfred of Pevensey.
Spink 1271. Where to start with
this one! It is a stray coin from the
famous Beauvais Hoard, sold by a French dealer to
Peter Mitchell of Baldwins in 1987 and therefore not listed
in the sale of that hoard in the same year.
Sold privately to Dr William Conte late 1988. We talk in terms of hundreds, perhaps even
thousands of coins for entire reigns being recorded at specific mints. For this mint, Pevensey
(literally built on the site of a Roman fortification on the spot where William
the Conqueror happened to land in 1066, on route to an appointment he had at Hastings), this is one of only four
recorded examples. Just to be clear, there
are only four Pevensey coins for all of the Henry 1st
coinage (only a type IX and this type X shown on EMC) and there are
only thirteen Pevensey mint coins recorded on EMC for
every single monarch, ever. Old tickets here. A once in a lifetime coin. £6,950
WMH-7829: Henry 1st NORMAN
Hammered Silver DOUBLE INSCRIPTION Penny.
B.M.C. XI, 1116 only: +ALDPINE / ON SEFTE – Aldwine of Shaftsbury. Spink
1272. Only fourteen Shaftsbury coins of all
Henry 1st types recorded on the EMC database with no
examples of Double Inscription coins recorded.
Further, this coin is the best grade example of all Shaftsbury mint
coins, all types, on EMC. Ex Mike Vosper
(his ticket) who sold this coin to the famous Causeway Collection in 2018. A stunning coin – there will be no
better. Unambiguously Choice. £6,325 RESERVED (M.S.10-10-23 Lay-Away)
WMH-7442: Henry 1st NORMAN Hammered
Silver DOUBLE INSCRIPTION Penny. B.M.C. XI, 1116 only: +ALDRED O / N LVNDE – Aelfred
of London.
Spink 1272. The wavy flan made
this a challenging coin to photograph.
Only fourteen London Double Inscription coins recorded on the EMC
database with NO examples of this moneyer.
A rare type and a rarer still moneyer.
£1,450
WMH-8166: Henry 1st NORMAN Hammered
Silver DOUBLE INSCRIPTION Penny - CHOICE.
B.M.C. XI, 1116 only: + ÐEORIAE ON LVNDI – Thured of London.
Official test cut at 4 o'clock which all coins of types 7-14 (and
some for type 6) had in order to convince the public that the coin in their
hand was genuine and did actually contain silver. Spink 1272.
There are x410 Henry 1st coins on the EMC database with x17 being B.M.C.
XI (most will be B.M.C.XV). Of those
seventeen, x6 are cut halves or quarters and of the remaining x11, I'd go as
far as to say none are better and most are a lot worse. If that's not rare enough for you, I can tell
you than none of those x17 coins are from this moneyer because Thured is an unrecorded moneyer for B.M.C. XI, although he
is present in North as a moneyer for other Henry 1st London mint types. A plethora of old tickets - see here -
demonstrating sound provenance over the years with names such as Tim Owen, CNG,
Hammered British Coins, etc, etc.
Unambiguously Choice. £4,435
WMH-7703:
Henry 1st
Hammered Silver NORMAN Penny. Small
profile / cross & annulets type, B.M.C. XII, circa 1119 only. Spink 1273.
Mint and moneyer uncertain – if it wasn’t for the questionable slabbing
on this coin, I suspect something could be gleaned. Ex B. Tregen
collection, ex Mike Vosper (that ticket originally lost but now found and
thus sold with the coin). Hard to
photograph but actually good central detail with peripheral weakness in the
strike. I’m told it’s easy to remove the
plastic slab. £985
WMH-8003: Henry 1st Hammered Norman
Silver Penny. Star in Lozenge, B.M.C. XIII type,
circa 1121 only. Crowned bust left,
holding sceptre; +NORTHMAN:ON[ ]TF. Northman moneyer minting at Thetford
in East Anglia.
Spink 1274. There are only ten
examples of B.M.C 13 recorded for Thetford, whish is
not a lot. Further, there is only a single
example of this exceptionally rare moneyer listed on the EMC database: EMC/SCBI
NUMBER:2008.0309. This coin is that
listed example, thus making this coin unique.
Found 2006 in Buckinghamshire. A
very rare coin indeed. £1,450
WMH-7444: Henry 1st NORMAN Hammered
Silver STAR IN LOZENGE Penny. B.M.C. XIII, 1121 only: +O(TER) ON BERDESTA – Otarr of Barnstaple.
Spink 1274. A rare mint for
monarch with only seven Barnstaple coins of all Henry 1st
types recorded on the EMC database with only two examples of Star
in Lozenge coins recorded, both of which were found in a Lincolnshire hoard a
long time ago so I doubt they are in public ownership. £2,150
WMH-7719: Henry 1st Norman
Kings Hammered Silver CHOICE Penny.
Pellets in Quatrefoil type, B.M.C. XIV, dating to AD 1123 only. Spink 1275, North 870. +ALFPINE(.ON.L)VN – Aelfwine
out of the London mint. One of the rarer moneyers for type, there
being only x3 recorded examples (the excellent EMC / SCBI database), one
confirmed (a very good coin but not a patch on this one), one with only a
partial moneyer reading but it will be Aelfwine (a
lovely coin but again, not as good as this example) and a third with no image
so likely to be from an early Lincoln hoard as that was the find spot. That hoard contained several London type 14 pennies (the bulk
being Sigegar as moneyer) but only a single Aelfwine. A further
point of interest with this coin is the unusual orientation of the reverse
quatrefoil – it is most unusual to have one of the Lis
below the initial mark; in nearly every other recorded example, it’s the point
of the quatrefoil pointing to the i.m. To find any presentable type 14 or 15 coin is
hard (type 15 coins are more prevalent and remember, type 14 was only a single
year issue) – this is nothing to do with grade, rather that they put little
effort into both die cutting and the actual end product because they were
churning these issues out at pace, seemingly against the clock. This coin is simply stunning in every
aspect. It’s attractively toned, full of
flan, from excellent dies and particularly well executed for type. I draw readers attention the type 14 Spink
use as their plate coin (2023). It has
the usual reverse quatrefoil orientation but importantly, it’s clearly an
inferior coin when compared to this one and although it’s a lovely coin, that’s
the very best example Spink could find with their huge resources and
contacts. Only one word sums up this
coin – choice. £2,885
WMH-7865:
Henry 1st
Hammered Silver Norman Penny. B.M.C.
XIV, 1123 only: +ESGAR ON GLOCESE – Esgar of Gloucester.
Spink 1275. No examples
recorded on the EMC and SCBI database, although the accompanying
literature states two other coins known: one in the Gloucester Museum and the
other a cut half out of the 1987 Beauvais Coin Hoard
- the former will never be in public hands; the latter's whereabouts are
unknown. Sold with old tickets - the
detailed ticket looks to be 1980's with the Baldwin ticket (with Baldwin coin envelope) more recent. It is interesting to note that Baldwin's rate this coin as RRR. An exceptionally rare coin. £1,065
WMH-8127:
Henry 1st Norman
Hammered Silver Penny. B.M.C. XV,
Quadrilateral on cross fleury type, 1125-35 only:
+OS[B]ERN
ON [G]IPE – Osbern
of Ipswich.
Spink 1276. There are only x26
results for all Henry 1st types minted at Ipswich on the EMC database - including
cut halves and historical entries with no images - but only x6 are Henry 1st
type XV Ipswich. One has a Winchester mint signature which is impressive
considering it's in the Ipswich section and Osbern was not a
moneyer at Winchester!)
Sold with several
old tickets. A rare coin on an
unusual irregular flan. £695
Round
Halfpennies
WMH-7048:
Henry 1st
Hammered Silver Norman Round Halfpenny.
Obverse: facing uncrowned head of Henry 1st, hair made up of seven
fleur-like ringlets, inner and outer beaded circles with legend surrounding: +hENRIC REX, initial mark cross with orbed base. Reverse: +AILPINE ON PI – Ailwine
(moneyer) of Winchester, central cross potent with groups
of pellets in angles. Dark uneven tone
with light porosity, fine and clear with distinctive style of head and fully
readable, extremely rare denomination and the only example known of this
moneyer, although this moneyer is recorded as issuing pence at Winchester. Spink 1277, North 872.
Provenance:
Found near
Marlborough, Wiltshire, October 2001 (see The Searcher magazine, March 2002,
pp.41-3, this coin).
Ex Dix
Noonan and Webb, 19th June 2002, lot 135.
Ex Spink
Coin Auction 183, 26th September 2006, lot 19.
Ex Spink
Coin Auction, 26th September 2018, lot 370.
The
round Halfpenny denomination of King Henry 1st initially came to light only 71
years ago, when respected professional numismatist Peter Seaby exhibited a coin of Winchester by the moneyer Godwine A at the British Numismatic Society
on 1 March 1950 (North pl.16, 36 and
Spink Standard Catalogue, p.135, coin now in the Fitzwilliam Museum). It took until 1989
for four more halfpence to emerge: Sandwich, Æthelbold (reverse struck from a type IX Penny die
- now in Fitzwilliam Museum), and Hereford, Ailred (now in British Museum), both found together
in spoil from Thames Exchange; Norwich(?),Thot,
found in Norfolk (now in Fitzwilliam Museum); and York, Othbeorn, found near Newbury. Other mints and moneyers discovered
since include examples of Oxford, Ægelnoth; Wallingford, Osulf; and Wilton, Ailward (all
in Fitzwilliam Museum); another Sandwich, Æthelbold,
of regular type, found at Little Mongeham, Kent,
September 1992; Winchester, Wimund,
ex Baldwin Auction 7, 2nd May 1996, lot 517 and now also in the Fitzwilliam
Museum; Lincoln, uncertain moneyer (only half a coin), found
Newark 2004 and more recently another Lincoln, Aslakr, an unrecorded moneyer for type (obviously,
seeing as how it’s the only extant Lincoln round halfpenny!) being probably the
best known example of all 22 known coins, with provenance as “found near
Lincoln 2018”; Norwich, Thorstein,
found Sutton Bridge 2009 (currently for sale in the US at $15,000); York, Forni, found north east Lincolnshire 2009; London,
---DRED, a fragmentary coin found Kent 2013; London, Thorreaed, found Tilbury 2014; Canterbury, Winedaeg, found Wherwell -
pierced in three places; as well as three uncertain pieces. To
summarise there are approximately twenty two examples recorded with around half
either in museums or fragmentary. £7,950
Stephen
(AD 1135 - 1154). Norman King Read
about Stephen
The fabled
TRANSITIONAL CORONATION ISSUE, bridging the coinage of Henry 1st and Stephen:
WMH-7912:
Extremely Rare Stephen
Hammered Silver Penny Utilising an Altered Henry 1st Die. Termed the "Transitional Coronation Issue",
struck with an altered Henry 1st obverse die (STEFANVS REX over HENRIC) - a
substantive class XV penny of Henry 1st Watford (B.M.C. 1) type, struck
December 1136. [LIEF]RED : ON :
LVND. Issued under the direction of the
Abbot of Reading, Hugh Miens. Only one London moneyer allowed, according to the
literature. This reading of Stephen's
regnal name (STEFANVS as opposed to the ubiquitous STIEFNE) was completely
unknown prior to the discovery of this issue.
Only six extant examples known, including this one. Old tickets here and
a marvellous numismatic
information sheet here. As you might
expect, there is a rather impressive provenance accompanying this coin:
Ex Spink
Ex Lord Stewartby 2016
Ex Baldwins 1972
Ex F.A.
Walters 1932
Reportedly
found in the River Witham, Lincs. pre 1875
One of the
most significant and interesting Norman coins you're likely to see for sale on the open
market. £2,950 RESERVED (M.S.20-11-23
Lay-Away)
Angevin Party
WMH-7613:
Norman ANGEVIN
PARTY Hammered Silver Halfpenny – Henry of Anjou. **A coin of major
historical significance** Struck under the Empress
Matilda’s Angevin Party circa 1142-47 using an
exceptionally well crafted pair of dies: the obverse has Henry of Anjou facing
right; crowned, whilst the reverse is based on the Henry 1st final
type 15 Quadrilateral on Cross Fleury type although
the Cross Fleury is more a Cross Pellet. Obverse: HEN[RICVS], reverse:
+RAO[---ON---]IGE. This reverse is the
reading taken directly from the EMC / SCBI entry (EMC 2019.0360) – see here. I would suggest that the mint is, in fact, Gloucester – Mack 247 is a type 3 example of
this coin with a mint signature GLOE and GLO could possibly be this
reading. Recorded mints for Henry of Anjou,
this type, are Hereford, Gloucester, “CRST” and “CAO[--]”. I’m at a loss as to where EMC derives
Wallingford from, other than Wallingford was a beleagured
garrison which sent for Henry, from his home in France, in 1153, a date way in
advance of this coin. If the reader is
interested, all recorded Angevin mints are: Bristol, Gloucester, Sherbourne(?),
Hereford, Malmesbury,
and “Uncertain” - Cirencester? The
moneyer on this coin (given by EMC as RADVLF, RAVLF or RAVL) is a previously
unrecorded moneyer; Gloucester Henry of Anjou was only ROBERT prior to this
coin. Mack 248-53, Spink 1329, North
940/2. Empress Matilda’s eldest son,
Henry of Anjou, Lived in France.
He came to England in 1147, aged 14, and 1149. The former was to do battle at Pevensey (he attacked Cricklade
& Bourton but both were abject failures and to
make a bad day at the office worse, his men deserted him), the latter was to be
knighted by his great uncle, David 1st of Scotland, at Carlisle.
In between times, he was fully occupied in fighting a war against Louis
VII, briefly taking time out to marry Eleanor of Aquitaine, the former wife of
Louis VII. Interesting times. The chronology of coinage is as follows:
Empress Matilda coinage in hr name, 1139-42.
Henry of Anjou very much replaced his mother on coinage from 1142 with
the profile types lasting until the death of Earl Robert in 1147, after which
Henry of Anjou adopted a front facing style to match the Stephen regular type 2
coinage (voided cross & stars, 1145-50).
Post 1147, the fortunes of the Angevin Party
were at a low ebb and very little, if any, coinage was issued. A point of interest on this coin is the
unusual placement of the regnal name, starting about 10 o’clock.
Cut coins were very much done so at the mint, not in the field,
obviously to generate small change where no round fractional coins
existed. This was the case right through
until the practise all but ceased under Edward 1st. It is extremely interesting to note that this
cut half has virtually 100% of the bust of Henry of Anjou remaining. Once the civil war was over and Henry II was
enthroned (Henry II was Henry of Anjou), the mint had little consideration as
to whether the king’s head was or was not on a cut half – indeed it is thought
that of the miniscule quantity of coinage put aside for “cutting” at the mint
post civil war, BOTH sides of individual whole coins were released into
circulation as halfpence. Prior to this,
it was definitely NOT the case – only carefully selected coins, with Henry’s
portrait favouring one side of the coin, were chosen and when cut, the side
without the portrait was immediately put back in the melting pot. This was to ensure that all coinage, even
smaller denominations held by peasants, bore the rightful monarch’s portrait. It was basically the forerunner to propaganda
and advertising. When you consider this,
these cut halves represent a miniscule fraction of all struck coinage and then
whatever that miniscule percentage was, it was immediately halved in size by
only using one half of every cut coin.
An excessively rare and extraordinarily high grade example. If this were a full coin, in this grade, it
would be somewhat over £10,000; probably more as it’s an unrecorded
moneyer. It is common practice in Scandinavia to charge a straight 50% of the
value of a full coin on all cut half coins, even English coins. Don’t miss out on this one as there will be
no repeat. £3,375 RESERVED (M.S.28-8-23)
Irregular Local
Dies Variant
WMH-7479: Stephen Norman Hammered
Silver Halfpenny. Unusual Norman
Hammered Silver Cut Halfpenny of Stephen’s B.M.C.1, "Watford" type, 1136-45, Spink
1278. An irregular coin struck using
Local Dies with part ornamental / part retrograde / possibly meaningless
legends. To the best of my ability the
legends are: [...]ENSI+EFR+E[...] and [...]ENR or E? ON G[...]. Taken at face value, the reverse could
indicate ALFWINE (blundered) of Gloucester? Richard
Mooney, a numismatist I hold in high esteem for his knowledge and understanding
of not just Norman coinage but virtually all hammered coinage, has kindly provided the
following: ”The best I can
think of is that the "G" on the reverse might be the beginning of the
Gloucester mint signature.
If this is actually true, a reasonable moneyer could be Alfwine,
but then the spelling is blundered, [...]WENE ON G[...]. I saw no names
ending ENE in Martin Allen's 2012 paper on Norman moneyers of type 1
Stephen.” Recorded on the EMC database as EMC 2023.0066
although as you’ll see if you look this coin up, Martin Allen is also
struggling. Unique? Further research required – something to
definitely get your numismatic teeth into!
£585
Rare Southern
Variant
WMH-6956: Unique Stephen Norman
Penny – Tutbury Castle, family seat of Robert de Ferrers, second Earl of Derby. Unique Tutbury mint
coin. Obverse: [STEPH]ANVSX, crude
crowned bust right holding sceptre.
Reverse: WALCMI.[INVS] TVT, voided short cross with annulet in centre, martlets in angles, reminiscent of the Edward Confessor
Saxon Sovereign / Eagles B.M.C.9 coin.
Struck in the summer of 1141 when Stephen was held in captivity, at a
time when royal control had all but broken down and chaos (anarchy) prevailed,especially amongst the King’s supporters. Spink 1298 var and
Mack 175 var. Listed as a Southern
Variant in Spink and not an East Midland’s variant – Derby is in the East
Midlands and Tutbury Castle is a short distance south
east of Derby in East Staffordshire.
Mack (the definitive work on Stephen coinage) states that “…all
known coins are from the same die pairing” with the reverse having the
legend: +WALCHELINVS DERBI. There were
three coins and a cut half of this type found in Ashby-de-la-Zouch in 1788 and
one other found in London at a similar although unspecified date. The obverse and reverse of this coin are
definitely not a die pair to the other 4 ½ extant “DERBI” examples. This is a unique coin, from the hitherto
unrecorded mint of Tutbury. Walkelin, the
moneyer at both Derby and Tutbury, was a family name
of the de Ferrers and so it is likely that the family
itself struck this coinage. The dies
were local, in their crudity and workmanship, and were cut by the local seal
cutter (see BNJ, v, p.439 and Carlyon-Britton sale
catalogue note under lot 1482). There is
obviously no research as to why the family changed the mint town on the coins
from Derby to Tutbury (or vice versa) – Tutbury Castle was in the hands of the Earls of Derby
throughout this period – as this is the first and only example of a Tutbury coin known.
There is only a single coin of this type listed on the E.M.C database,
it being this exact same coin. This coin
made the news some 10 years ago when it was found as a “£10K coin find”, which
is remarkable in itself but possibly more so that I can actually remember it
making the news, even though I can’t remember what I did last week, never mind
what happened ten years ago! 0.97g / 90
degree die rotation. Ex DNW auction 2014
and ex another auction (see later entry here). The coin is described as VF in that
entry. The coin has been professionally
repaired at 6 o’clock to a remarkably high
standard; only apparent under a loop, or the all-revealing camera / lighting
setup that I employ for photography.
There is a Castle Rising Watford type Stephen penny doing the rounds of
dealers at the moment for £4,000+. It is
not as clear on the legends, not as good a bust, is a rare mint but there are
well into double figures of that mint known, and is a just Watford type. I think that puts this coin into context
rather nicely, especially as any discount you may have been awarded previously
will be valid on this coin. £8,950
WMH-7448: Stephen NORMAN Hammered
Silver SOUTHERN VARIANT Penny. B.M.C. I var, c.1148: +SANSON ON ANT – Hanton of Southampton.
Spink 1295. A rare Stephen penny
struck, out of necessity for this was during the Civil War period, from local
and irregular dies. These Southern
Variant Civil War coins, when they do turn up, are predictably grim. This coin, however, is anything but
grim. As you’ll see from the ticket, Jon Mann,
the esteemed researcher, rates this as not only being high quality silver as
opposed to the usual billon material they used in this issue, but one of the
top five extant examples. Brooke (B.M.C. introduction, pp.xcl-xclv)
appears to have been the first researcher to postulate that not just the
acceptance of Southampton as the physical location of where these coins were
minted was questionable but, more generally and not just focusing in on this
issue, that "...coins may not have been issued from the place which the
(reverse) inscription were intended to signify", the suggestion being that
place of issue which the die sinker intended should be implied. Why Hanton possibly
sought to imply Southampton as the location of his
coins remains a mystery. Elmore-Jones
(B.N.J. xxviii, p.541) and R.P. Mack (Stephen and the Anarchy 1135-1154) go
further and suggest that Canterbury is a much more likely
mint location. Brook goes further still
in suggesting that due to the irregular nature of the issue - lettering, light
weight billon silver, crudeness and overall dreadful condition of most extant
examples - that the entire issue was organised forgery on a considerable scale.
R.P. Mack tempers this hypothesis by suggesting that if Brook was right, it
would have to have been at the very least on a semi-official basis due to shear
scale and quality - at least x8 different die pairs are known. Mack also points out that the Southern
Variant Sanson (Hanton)
type reverse is a combination of both types 1 and 7, which is precisely the
same as that of a coin of Henry of Anjou (#246 from the Winterslow
hoard), struck at Gloucester. To add
even more confusion to the mix, this issue has distinctive similarities
characteristic of the Hereford coins in Stephen's
name from the so-called "local" dies!
£1,750
WMH-7981: Stephen NORMAN Hammered
Silver SOUTHERN VARIANT Penny. B.M.C. I var, c.1148: [+SAN]SONI [ON] ANT – Hanton of Southampton. Spink
1295. A rare Stephen penny struck, out of necessity for this was
during the Civil War period, from local and irregular dies. These
Southern Variant Civil War coins, when they do turn up, are predictably low
grade, misshapen and generally problematic. This coin, however, is
anything but that. Another ex Jon Mann, the esteemed numismatic
researcher, coin. Brooke (B.M.C. introduction,
pp.xcl-xclv) appears to have been the first researcher
to postulate that not just the acceptance of Southampton as the physical
location of where these coins were minted was questionable but, more generally
and not just focusing in on this issue, that "...coins may not have been
issued from the place which the (reverse) inscription were intended to
signify", the suggestion being that place of issue which the die sinker intended
should be implied. Why Hanton possibly sought to imply Southampton as the location of his
coins remains a mystery. Elmore-Jones
(B.N.J. xxviii, p.541) and R.P. Mack (Stephen and the Anarchy 1135-1154) go
further and suggest that Canterbury is a much more likely
mint location. Brook goes further still
in suggesting that due to the irregular nature of the issue - lettering, light
weight billon silver, crudeness and overall dreadful condition of most extant
examples - that the entire issue was organised forgery on a considerable scale.
R.P. Mack tempers this hypothesis by suggesting that if Brook was right, it
would have to have been at the very least on a semi-official basis due to shear
scale and quality - at least x8 different die pairs are known. Mack also points out that the Southern
Variant Sanson (Hanton)
type reverse is a combination of both types 1 and 7, which is precisely the same
as that of a coin of Henry of Anjou (#246 from the Winterslow
hoard), struck at Gloucester. To add
even more confusion to the mix, this issue has distinctive similarities
characteristic of the Hereford coins in Stephen's
name from the so-called "local" dies!
Moving
away from theories, albeit from most eminent contributors, we see that in the
obverse field, right of sceptre, there is a cross below some other, as yet
unidentified mark. Unique from what I've
seen of this issue, and I have handled quite a few over the years. You will be aware of the star before the
sceptre in the Northern Variant, Durham issue (Spink 1304-7)
although I'm of the opinion that it's something entirely different on this
coin. Many of the "Irregular Coins
of Stephen", although issued in the name of the king, at least up until
the end of 1141, were almost certainly issued by Barons and Bishops throughout
the country. As such, resources would
have been on a much more limited scale compared to official outlets. Inevitably all coinage runs its course and
new dies are prepared. To stop the theft
of the old dies and subsequent counterfeiting, the expired dies were defaced -
Spink 1283-86A illustrates the point. I
suggest that the cross below and the other unidentified mark is just that;
marking the die and thus any subsequent coins as retired by defacement. However, because resources were restricted by
the Barons and Bishops, and the brutal and ongoing Civil War could, and often
did change things in the blink of an eye, sometimes they were forced to bring
out of retirement certain dies and reissue more coin. A fairly rare Stephen Southern Variant but
rarer still by the grade and especially the marks to the obverse field. £1,750
Cross Moline “Watford” issue (B.M.C. i) - a nationwide
issue:
WMH-7253:
Stephen “Norman
Kings” Hammered Silver **Rare Mint** Penny.
Thomas / Tomas of Bedford - [...]MAS ON BE[...]. 0.97g, 4h, Spink 1278. B.M.C. I. There are no Spink
1278 Bedford pennies for Stephen on the EMC /
SCBI database. Thomas / Tomas as
moneyer, under Stephen, was Bedford and Wilton ONLY. There was a type 7 (THOMAS of Bedford) penny
sold in 1983 to Elmore Jones for £1,600 hammer.
There are also five B.M.C. type 7’s (the Elmore Jones example almost
certainly being one of those five) and a single B.M.C. type 6 for Stephen
pennies of Bedford on the EMC / SCBI database. Stephen's Bedford coins are very rare indeed, with
B.M.C.1 coins being excessively rare, and possibly unique wrt
this coin. Ex Spink and with their
extremely detailed
information document sold with this coin.
An extremely rare coin indeed.
£1,895
WMH-7353:
Stephen Norman
Kings Hammered Silver *Rarer Mint* Penny.
B.M.C. I, Cross Moline “Watford” type: +[S]AMAR.[ON.]LEI – Samar of Leicester.
Toned. A rare coin. £1,475
WMH-7364:
Stephen Norman
Kings Hammered Silver *Rarer Mint* Penny.
B.M.C. I, Cross Moline “Watford” type: [+EVER]ARD [O]N PAR – Everard of Warwick.
Spink 1278. Dark toning, full
flan, well centred, strong portrait – a very rare coin, and for once
Spink agree as they rate Warwick Norman pennies at £1,250, and that’s for the
commonest type, which this coin is not.
£1,475
WMH-7939:
Stephen Norman
Hammered Silver Rarer Mint Penny.
Cross Moline or B.M.C. 1 type,
1136-45. [+S]APINE.ON.HAST – Hastings mint town. Very few recorded examples, especially
complete coins and in this grade, recorded.
The apparent crack at 1 or 2 o'clock on the reverse actually isn't a crack
at all, rather a planchet flaw which was there prior to the strike. Its corresponding obverse location is at 4 o'clock.
Ex Bispham collection (an acknowledged expert
in late Norman, early medieval coinage), ex Baldwins - see old tickets here. It is perhaps full circle in that at the
Battle of Hastings the Normans took control of England and then this penny, minted at Hastings, witnessed the end of the Normans period upon Stephen's death. £995 RESERVED (M.He.21-12-23)
WMH-8128:
Stephen Norman
Hammered Silver Penny. An exceptional
coin. Cross Moline “Watford” type B.M.C. I,
Ð[VR]STAN:ON:EVE – Thorsteinn of York.
Spink 1278. Of the x5 examples
recorded on the EMC database, this coin is the best. Dark toning, full flan,
well centred, strong portrait, excellent legends – you will struggle to
find a better example for type or mint available today. £1,850
Voided Cross & Stars issue (B.M.C.
ii) - an East of England issue only:
WMH-7899:
Stephen Norman
Hammered Silver Penny. Voided cross
and stars type, B.M.C. 2.
1145-50. +RODBERT:ON:RIS - Castle Rising mint in
North Norfolk, very close to the famous Snettisham
site where all those fabulous Celtic gold torques (not to mention hoards of
Celtic coins) came from. Whilst the site
at Snettisham is underwhelming, I strongly recommend
a visit to Castle Rising. There's not
much there but the hairs on the back of your neck most certainly go up, even
when you're driving past on the bypass.
Castle Rising is mentioned in the Doomsday Book. It was later granted to William de Albini, whose son built a castle there. Stephen was the only monarch to mint coins at
Castle Rising, issuing BMC II, VI and VII pennies and cut halves. Castle Rising BMC II coins account for only
x5 of the x19 recorded examples (only x1 BMC II is a full coin and this coin is
superior to that recorded full example) with BMC VI having x10 recorded and BMC
VII just x4. This Stephen type, together
with BMC VI, were only issued in the Eastern part of England which was under Royal
control. BMC VII was a nationwide
issue. Spink 1280, North 878, Mack 56, SCBI
(East Anglia) 1459. Provenance: DNW 2020, Sovereign Rarities
(sold for £5,750), St George Collection.
See tickets
here. Inconsequential surface stress
mark to the reverse. Richly toned, a
bold portrait, good legends, an extremely rare mint town. Good VF.
You will not find a better example of this extremely rare, iconic coin. Choice by anyone's definition. £6,345
Cross & Piles issue (B.M.C. vi) - an
East of England issue only:
WMH-7446: Stephen NORMAN Hammered
Silver CROSS & PILES Penny. B.M.C. VI, 1150-54: (+)GERFREI ON (TEF) – Geffrei
of Thetford. Spink 1281.
There are only six recorded examples of Thetford
mint B.M.C VI coins on the EMC database with only two for this moneyer, one of
which is a cut half of questionable attribution. Sold with a variety of old tickets etc - ex
W.J. Lawson collection (sold by Spink Aus in 1989). Toned, virtually VF and just a lovely
coin. £1,795
WMH-7793:
Stephen Hammered Silver
Norman Halfpenny. Cross & Piles: B.M.C. VI, circa
1050-54. Norwich mint - only issued in the Eastern
part of England which was under Royal
control. Obverse crowned bust left,
+S[TIEFN]E RE; reverse: [+STAN]hIL: ON NO[R]. 0.79g.
Spink 1281. Toned, rarer type,
rarer mint but the main highlight is the virtually full portrait. B.M.C. VI is one of the rarest of the
standard Stephen issues – Spink 2023 rate it as £1,100 in VF. This coin is at least VF for issue, if not
slightly better. The Scandinavians
charge a standard, flat 50% of the price of a full coin for a cut half. It’s unusual to get both mint & moneyer
from halfpennies (without die linking) but it is incredibly rare to get this
much detail in terms of the king’s portrait on a cut half. These coins were officially cut at the mint
immediately after striking in order to integrate small change into circulation
at a time when there were no round halfpennies.
The value of the coinage, and therefore the purchasing power, was
entirely in the silver content so this cut half should have literally been
worth half a penny. At 0.79 grams, it is
virtually impossible that the other half of this coin was the same weight. I’d postulate that this coin was cut very
generously at the mint with the other half coin back into the melting pot to
make planchets to be used for later coinage.
Sold with an old ticket stating that the coin was found in the Southampton area. A very rare find indeed. £685
WMH-7872:
Norman Civil
War Stephen Hammered Silver UNRECORDED Penny. Cross & Piles: B.M.C. VI, circa
1050-54. London mint - only issued in the Eastern
part of England which was under Royal control. +IOhANNES ON LV - a completely unrecorded moneyer
for type and mint, including North and the EMC / SCBI database - in fact London
BMC VI pennies barely get into double figures on the EMC / SCBI database which
illustrates just how rare they are. This
is clearly much rarer with the unrecorded moneyer. Ex Spink (their tickets), ex AMR Coins. £895
WMH-8078:
Stephen NORMAN Hammered
Silver Eastern England Issue Penny. Cross & Piles: B.M.C. VI,
circa 1050-54. Norwich mint - only issued in the Eastern
part of England which was under Royal
control. Obverse crowned bust left,
+STIEFNE [RE]; reverse: +R[AVDV]L: ON NOR, being Radulf
/ Raulf / Raul of Norwich. EMC 2023.0391 and die paired to EMC 2013.0321
to see exactly the reverse moneyer legend.
A very healthy 1.32g. Spink 1281. Toned, rarer type, rarer mint, virtually full
portrait. B.M.C. VI is one of the rarest
of the standard Stephen issues – Spink 2023 rate it as £1,100 in VF. Sold with old tickets. Fund Stanfield. A very rare find indeed. £1,085
Cross Pommee (Awbridge) issue (B.M.C. vii) - a nationwide issue:
WMH-7783: Stephen NORMAN Hammered
Silver AWBRIDGE / CROSS POMEE Penny.
B.M.C. VII, 1154-58: +NICOLE ON DVNE – Nicol of Dunwich. Spink 1282.
From the entire Middle Ages, the only coins attributed to the mint at Dunwich were struck in the reign of Stephen during the
decade c.1145-55. These were BMC types
II, VI and VII. EMC lists in total only
fourteen coins for Dunwich, of which x5 are cut
fractions. Of the nine remaining
pennies, two are BMC II, six are BMC VI (there are also another seven BMC VI Dunwich coins from the 1989 Wicklewood
Hoard that have not made it onto EMC) and only two BMC VII coins, of which one
is this coin (EMC/SCBI NUMBER:2022.0037).
It is a different die to the other example. Struck on a squarish
flan, virtually VF and as rare as they come.
£3,575
