Penny of William the Lion of Scotland

Jason Waller had been told the coin pictured here was a penny of William the Lion of Scotland. I was asked if the ID is correct and if so what might the coin be worth in cash terms.

The coin is a penny of William the Lion. It’s an example of the short cross and stars type of Phase A so it dates from 1195 to circa 1205. On the reverse there is a cross pommee at the start of the legend, which reads hVE:ON:–NE. A couple of the letters are indistinct but Hue is the moneyer and the mint will be Edinburgh.

This Scottish penny is weak in one quarter on both sides but is otherwise in about VF condition, which is better than usual for the type.

A USA company with an office in London recently sold at auction a large collection of Scottish coins. It included quite a number of William the Lion pennies and the hammer prices were not particularly high.

Valuation

Pennies bearing the name of a moneyer and a mint are far scarcer than slightly later pennies struck jointly by Hue and Walter. Jason’s find is a decent example of Phase A and to a specialist collector it should be worth around £350.

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