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England - Norman and Plantagenet

S.1255 William I (Ælfnoth)Penny of William I, king of England 1066-1087
Moneyer: Ælfnoth
Mint: Shaftesbury
Sword type
S. 1255
B.M.C. 6
O: +PILLELM REX I
R: +IILNOÐ ON SIEFTSB

The so-called "sword type" depicts William the Conqueror forward facing, holding what is probably a ceremonial sword. A variant of this type would also be issued by his son William II.

Ex- S.Hall, Alfa Numismatics Auction 1 (lot 125)St. George's Collection

S.1258 William II (Eadwig)Penny of William II, king of England 1087-1100
Moneyer: Eadwig
Mint: London
S. 1258
B.M.C. 1
O: +PILLELM RE
R: +EDPI ON LVNDNE

Ex- StacksBowersSt. George's Collection

S.1263A Henry I (Ælfwine)Penny of Henry I, king of England 1100-1135
Moneyer: Ælfwine
Mint: London
S. 1263A
B.M.C. 2
O: +HENRI RE
R: IELFPINE ON LVND

Ex- S.Hall, Alfa Numismatics Auction 1 (lot 129)St. George's Collection

S.1271 Henry I (Godwine)Penny of Henry I, king of England 1100-1135
Moneyer: Godwine
Mint: Thetford
S. 1271
B.M.C. 10
O: +hENRICVS REX AN
R: GODPINE ON TETF

Ex- HeritageSt. George's Collection

S.1275 Henry I (Wulfgar)Penny of Henry I, king of England 1100-1135
Moneyer: Wulfgar
Mint: London
S. 1275
B.M.C. 14
O: +hENRICVS REX
R: +PULFGA[R O]N.LVNDE

Ex- CNG Auction 114 (1321), J & M Robertson, Triton X (1317), Baldwins, Beauvais HoardSt. George's Collection

S.1278 Stephen (Sigverd)Penny of Stephen, king of England 1135-1154
Mint: Lincoln
Moneyer: Sigverd
S.1278 (var.)
N.874
BMC i
O: +~TIEF[NE]
R: [+~IG]VE[R]T [O]N: L[IN]

Penny of Stephen of Blois, king of England during the period known as "The Anarchy". This was a time of civil war, during which Stephen and Matilda of Anjou, daughter of the late Henry I, feuded for the throne. The country was thrown into chaos, and local barons or warlords took power when central authority disintegrated. The coinage reflects this disorganization, and there are pennies of Stephen, Matilda, and several of the prominent barons, along with "local issues" struck from crude dies with unusual legends. Most coins of this period are poorly struck, with incomplete legends, and this one is no exception.

This type, called the "Watford" type in honor of a large 19th century hoard found in Watford, features the king facing right, with a crown and scepter. The reverse depicts a cross moline with an inward facing fleur-de-lis at the junction of the ends. This is the most common type of Stephen's coinage

This particular coin is of a sub-variety without the inner circle around the king's portrait.

The legend is nearly impossible to make out, but comparison with a finer coin with preserved legends (from the same dies) has enabled me to figure out the legend.

Ex- Halls Hammered Coins, London Coins Auction 150 (lot 1790)St. George's Collection

S.1278 Stephen (William)Penny of Stephen, king of England 1135-1154
Mint: Canterbury
Moneyer: William
S.1278
N.874
BMC i
O: +STIEF[NE REX]
R: +W[ILLEM O]N:CAN:

Ex- J Playford, Ye Olde Coin Co (Australia), T Owens, Prestwich hoardSt. George's Collection

S.1279 Stephen (Radulf)Penny of Stephen, king of England 1135-1154
Mint: Lincoln
Moneyer: Radulf
S.1279
N.928
PERERIC type
O: +P[ERERIC:]
R: +RA[P]V[LF ON NIC]O:

This rare type, barely identifiable due to the poor strike on lettering, does not depict the name Stephen but rather "Pereric", an obscure inscription of uncertain meaning. It has been suggested that it is meant to represent Empress Matilda, but the Pereric coins were mostly produced at mints that did not belong to Matilda, such as Lincoln. The meaning is likely to remain obscure.

Ex- eBaySt. George's Collection

S.1311 Earl Henry of NorthumberlandCut half-penny of Henry, earl of Northumberland 1139-1152
Mint: Carlisle
Moneyer: Wilelm
S.1311
N.913
O: +N[ENCI COM]
R: [+WILLEM] ON:C[A]R

A cut halfpenny of Henry, son of David I of Scotland, who was made earl of Northumberland following the negotiated settlement after Scotland's defeat at the Battle of the Standard. Henry would have been heir to the throne of Scotland, but died before his father.

Ex- DNW 15 Sept 2015 (lot 196)St. George's Collection

S.1326 Matilda (Bricmer)Penny of Matilda, queen of England (disputed) 1139-1148
Mint: Cardiff
Moneyer: Bricmer
S.1326
N.936
O: [MATI]LLIS IMP
R: [+BRIC]MER:CAIE[RDI]

This coin, cracked and somewhat crudely repaired by the Cardiff Museum, is from the famous Coed-y-Wenallt hoard found in 1980. This hoard tripled the number of coins of Matilda known up to that time. THe best of the hoard went to museums. Some of the coins were sold by Spink in 1982, many ended up in institutional collections. A good number of them were cracked and repaired by the museum.

Matilda was ultimately unsuccessful in her invasion and war against Stephen, but her son would become king Henry II and one of the most successful English monarchs.

Ex- DNW 3 Jul 2019 (lot 431), M Lessen, P Withers, Seaby Coins, Spink Auction 20 (lot 26), Coed-y-Wenallt hoardSt. George's Collection

S.1339 Henry II (Nicole)Penny of Henry II, king of England 1154-1189
Moneyer: Nicole
Mint: Ipswich
S. 1339
O: +hENRI:RE
R: +NICOLE ON GIPE

Cross and crosslets type penny, also known as 'Tealby' for a large hoard of them that was found in Tealby, Lincolnshire, in the early 19th century. These first issues of Henry II are often of wretched quality, and the legends can be very difficult to read.

Ex- eBaySt. George's Collection

S.1344 Henry II (Pieres M)Penny of Henry II, king of England 1154-1189
Moneyer: Piers M
Mint: London
Short cross
Class 1b1
S. 1344
O: hENRICVS•R EX
R: +PIERES•M•ON•LVN

Henry's short cross coinage was made from 1180 until his death

Ex- eBaySt. George's Collection

S.1345 Henry II (Raul)Penny of Henry II, king of England 1154-1189
Moneyer: Raul
Mint: London
Short cross
Class 1c
S. 1345
O: hENRICVS•R EX
R: +RAVL•ON•LVNDE

Ex- Noonans Auction 260 (lot 1109), DNW Auction 69 (lot 936), JP Mass, SpinkSt. George's Collection

S.1347 Richard I (William)Penny of Richard I, king of England 1189-1199
Moneyer: William
Mint: London
Short cross
Class 3a
S. 1347
O: hENRICVS REX
R: +WILLELM ON LVN

Coins of Richard were made in the name of his father Henry II, but have a different style of portrait. The only coins in Richard's name are from Aquitaine and Poitou.

Ex- eBay1 commentsSt. George's Collection

S.1348C Richard I (Stivene)Penny of Richard I, king of England 1189-1199
Moneyer: Stivene
Mint: London
Short cross
Class 4b
S. 1347C
O: hENRICVS REX
R: +STIVENE ON LVN

Ex- S.Hall, Lockdales March 2016 (lot 1404)2 commentsSt. George's Collection

S.1351 John (Beneit)Penny of John, king of England 1199-1216
Moneyer: Beneit
Mint: London
S. 1351
Class 5b2
O: hENRICVS R EX
R: BENEIT ON LVND

Ex- Lockdales Auction 199 (lot 784), Seaby 1980St. George's Collection

S.1352 JohnPenny of John, king of England 1199-1216
Moneyer: Rauf (?)
Mint: London
S. 1352 (?)
Class 5c (?)

Unusual flip-over double struck short cross penny. Looking at both sides, one can make out the design of both obverse and reverse on both sides of this coin. Double struck hammered coins are quite common, but flip over double strikes are fairly rare, and a coin with as much detail on both sides as can be seen here is an unusual thing.

I believe it is a class 5c penny of John, and it looks like the moneyer is Rauf or Raul, but I cannot be entirely sure.

Ex- eBaySt. George's Collection

S.1355A John or Henry III (or Louis) (Rauf)Penny of John, king of England 1199-1216
(or Henry III, king of England 1216-1272)
(or Louis, disputed king of parts of England 1216-1217)
Moneyer: Rauf
Mint: St. Edmunds
S. 1355A
Class 6c2
O: hENRICVS R EX
R: RAVF ON SANTAD

This particular variety has "ornamental" letters. There is some thought that this variety could be related to the occupation of southern England by Louis of France, though it's somewhat speculative.

Ex- Lockdales Auction 199 (lot 790), Baldwins 2006St. George's Collection

S.1356 Henry III (Simon)Penny of Henry III, king of England 1216-1272
Moneyer: Simon
Mint: Canterbury
Short cross
Class 7c
S. 1356
O: hENRICVS REX
R: +SIMVN ON CANTE

Ex- Noble Auction 122 (lot 2772), M Freehill, S Mitchell1 commentsSt. George's Collection

S.1364 Henry III (Hugo)Penny of Henry III, king of England 1216-1272
Moneyer: Hugo le Brunham
Mint: Norwich
Voided Long Cross
Class 3c
S. 1364
O: *hENRICVS REX:III
R: hVG EON NOR WIC

Ex- eBay, A Hunt, BSJ Auction 7 (lot 453 [part]), Baldwin's vault, ?Brussels hoardSt. George's Collection

S.1377 Edward I (John)Penny of Edward I, king of England 1272-1307
Moneyer: John
Mint: Bury St. Edmunds
Long cross coinage
Class 6
O: hENRIC REX III
R: ION ONS ENT EDM

Edward's first coinage was the long cross coinage continued after the death of his father, and in the name of Henry III. The portrait is different, with flowing hair rather than the hair curls on the Henry III coinage

Ex- eBaySt. George's Collection

S.1379F Edward IGroat of Edward I (1272-1307)
Mint: London
S.1379F
Fox 2
North F
Allen f2/r31(?)
O: +EDWARVS:D'I:GRA:REX:ANGL
R: :DN.S hIBn EDVX AQVT' LOn DOn IAC IVI

Edward I introduced the groat denomination, or fourpence. It was not popular and was probably only produced for a short time, making Edward I groats very rare. The denomination was revived by Edward III and was produced for centuries afterwards.

Many of the surviving Edward I groats were mounted as jewelry and/or gilded. Many are fairly beat up, with scratches and other damage very common.

This groat has a quatrefoil of two lines, which is seen on varieties f and g. Most of the known Edward I groats have a quatrefoil of three lines.

Ex- Heritage 15-16 Jan 2019 (lot 36521)St. George's Collection

S.1393 Edward IPenny of Edward I, king of England 1272-1307
Mint: London
Class 3g
O:+EDW R ANGL DNS HYB
R: CIVITAS LONDON

Ex- eBaySt. George's Collection

S.1455 Edward IIPenny of Edward II, king of England 1307-1327
Mint: London
Class 11a
O:+EDWA R ANGL DNS HYB
R: CIVITAS LONDON

Ex- eBay2 commentsSt. George's Collection

S.1469 Edward IIPenny of Edward II, king of England 1307-1327
Mint: Durham
Class 11a
S.1469
O:+EDWA R ANGL DNS HYB
R: CIVITAS DVNELM

An interesting penny of the ill-fated (or perhaps deserving-of-his-fate) Edward II, from Durham and under the authority of Bishop Richard Kellawe (1311-1316). The bishop's symbol, the crozier, is clearly visible at the top of the long cross on the reverse. Durham is spelled 'Dunelm', the Latin form of the old Saxon town name Dunhelm, and the name still used by the bishops of the city.

Ex- Britannia Coin CompanySt. George's Collection

S.1570 Edward IIIGroat of Edward III (1327-1377)
Mint: London
Pre-treaty
Series Gc
S.1570
O: +EDWARD D G REX ANGL Z FRANC D HYB
R: +POSVI DEVM ADIVTOREM MEV CIVITAS LONDON

Edward III, the great medieval warrior-king, hero of battle of Crecy, was a major figure that transformed England into a contemporary English states. He lived long enough to see some of it unravel during his lifetime, but his legacy has remained one of England's greatest figures.

Ex- Hammered British Coins1 commentsSt. George's Collection

S.1620 Edward IIIHalfgroat of Edward III (1327-1377)
Mint: London
Treaty period
S.1620
O: +EDWARDVS:REX:ANGL:DNS:hYB
R: +POSV I:DEVM ADIVTO RE:MEV CIVI TAS LON DON

Ex- Badger Coins, Morton and Eden 7-8 Dec 2017 (lot 100 [part]), Archbishop Sharp
St. George's Collection

S.1624 Edward IIIPenny of Edward III (1327-1377)
Mint: London
Treaty period
S.1624
N.1265
O: +EDWARD ANGL R DNS hYB
R: CIVI TAS LON DON

Ex- A.HowittSt. George's Collection

S.1678 Richard IIGroat of Richard II (1377-1399)
Mint: London
S.1678
N.1320a
Type I

This coin belongs to the first phase of Richard II groats, sharing style and obverse inscription with the late coins of his grandfather Edward III.

Ex- DNW 3 Jul 2019 (lot 624), M Lessen, Spink, Stacks 29 Apr 1987 (lot 1741), JL Dresser, R Carlyon-Britton, Glendining 20 Apr 1944 (lot 1375), Lord Grantley, Sotheby 19 Jul 1917 (lot 188 [part]), B Roth1 commentsSt. George's Collection

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