Cut quarter of Edward the Confessor.
Some finds are straightforward, others aren’t. Take a look at the coin featured here, which came in from John and Mike Ruczynski. It’s a cut quarter penny but to what reign does it belong? What can be seen on it suggests it is early but how early?
With just a quarter of a coin I hadn’t much to work from. What was left of the legend on one side reads PARD but the imagery was difficult to decipher. However, I decided that PARD was most likely to the end of EADPARD and that the coin must be a cut quarter of Edward the Confessor.
Having established which king was on the obverse I then turned to the reverse. One section of a voided short cross was visible and facing towards it was a bird. Therefore, the reverse must be the sovereign/eagles type of Edward the Confessor (number 1181 in the Standard Catalogue). The type was named long after this coin circulated. During the Anglo-Saxon period there was no such thing as a sovereign when this type was struck for Edward the Confessor. However, the obverse is similar to that on gold sovereigns first issued during the reign of Henry VII.
Valuation
The coin is in VF condition but as a cut quarter it would be worth far less in cash terms than a whole penny. Even though it is very rare, as the smallest cut fraction of Edward the Confessor my price range would be no higher than £25 – £35.