Penny of Sihtric Anlafsson

The person who sent in this coin wished to remain anonymous. I’m not sure if he unearthed the coin or if it was purchased.

At first sight the coin looks like a standard long cross penny of Aethelred II. Appearances can sometimes be deceptive, for this is something altogether different.

This penny might look to be English but it is just one of a range of coins attributed to Sihtric Anlafsson, who ruled over the Vikings based in and around Dublin. On the obverse the legend reads +SIHTRI REX DYFLINC and on the reverse we have +BIR HTIO DMO RINI. The reverse legend is a rough copy of an English penny and RINI points towards the mint being Winchester on the coin being copied.

A large series of Viking coins were struck in Ireland. The earliest were close copies of English pennies. Later on their design became more varied and the dies were often crude. The coin featured here was struck during phase A and can be dated to circa 1000-1010. In Coins of Scotland, Ireland and the Islands itis listed as number 6104.  

Valuation

The centre of the obverse is slightly weak but good enough to grade near VF. The reverse is better and would grade VF. An example of the same coin was sold at auction last year; it was graded as VF but crinkled, with peck marks and with a trace of a central crack and the hammer price was £600. Using the defective coin as a guide and working from the photographs, the penny pictured here could sell for a figure in the region of £1,200.

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