Continental Silver Sceatta
Russ Todd is the finder of this silver sceatta. It dates from the early Anglo-Saxon period but it’s a Continental rather than an English issue.
On one side is a square standard and on the other side a cross pommee surrounded by various symbols. Therefore, this sceatta is an example of series D, type 8, which is listed in the Standard Catalogue as number 793.
Russ sent images of his find before and after it had been treated with silver paper and lemon juice. I would never recommend that anyone should clean a coin using this method. I know many detectorists do but I’m continually warning against it. If the sceatta was a very valuable coin then a large chunk of its value could be lost through cleaning.
Having warned against tampering with a coin’s ‘as found’ state, I have to admit that this little sceatta does look better than it did when it came out of the ground. However, its appearance does look slightly unnatural – a bit too bright for something that has been in the ground for more than a dozen centuries.
Valuation
The obverse would grade near VF, the reverse good VF. In terms of value, its appearance might put off some potential buyers but those who still liked the look of it might pay around £80 in order to acquire it.
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