Description

• Anglo-Saxon coins were first minted in the late 5th or early 6th century AD. They were made of gold, silver, or copper, and often featured a design of a cross on the obverse and a portrait of the king on the reverse. The first Anglo-Saxon king to issue coins was Aethelberht of Kent, who ruled from 550-616 or Eadbald of Kent who ruled c. AD625. After the Norman Conquest in 1066, Anglo-Saxon coinage was replaced by that of the new rulers, much closer to the designs on the European continent. Typical names for Anglo Saxon coinage include gold "Schillings", "Thrymsas" and later silver "Sceattas" and "Pennings" which had more in common with the Viking north, and lastly copper or copper alloy "Stycas".
• Sceatta coinage was a type of early Anglo-Saxon coinage, introduced around the year 675-680 and provide a valuable into early medieval Britain. The name comes from the Old English word for 'treasure'. Sceattas were typically small 10-20mm and made of silver, although gold or bronze have also been found. They were struck with a simple design, often featuring a quasi abstract image of a face or animal together with dots or pellets. Around 80 different types of sceatta have been identified, indicating that they were produced by a number of different mints across southern England. The lack of written records has made it difficult to research them although the advent of metal detector finds has enabled a larger sample to be found and classified in different series and more closely associated with certain geographical locations. Sceattas continued to be used until the end of the 9th century, when they were replaced by the more familiar penny. The issues of sceattas are subdivided into 3 main phases: 'primary' (680-710AD) Series A-C, 'intermediate' (695-740AD) Series D-F and 'secondary' (710-760AD) with series G-Z. There is also possibly a fourth earlier phase known as 'pre-primary'. The primary includes Series A, B and C together with the continental series D. Intermediate includes Series D and E with E probably being minted later than 710AD also including types often referred to as 'porcupines'