Continental sterling of John II d’Avesnes

Ian Cutts was told by a fellow detectorist that the coin pictured here is an Edward I crockard. I was asked if I could let Ian have a more detailed ID on his find.

The reverse copies the design of pennies of Edward I and so does the obverse, except that instead of wearing a crown the head has a crocket of roses in the hair. Coins like this are the same size as Edward I pennies but they are European products known as Continental sterlings of the crockard type.

On the obverse the legend reads +I COMES hAnONIE with double stops between each word. On the reverse the legend reads MEL BOD IEN SIS. All this adds up to this sterling being struck for John II d’Aveesnes, when he was Lord of Hainaut (1280-1304) in the Low Countries.

Three different mints issued coins for John II and this one was struck at the mint situated in Maubeuge.

This isn’t a particularly scarce sterling but I’d much prefer it to a run-of-the-mill English penny of Edward I.

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