Edward I penny, Bristol mint

The silver penny pictured here is from the group of hammered coins sent in by Tony Hollis. It’s a penny of Edward I, which means it is fairly common, but it was struck at one of the provincial mints rather than London.

The coin has characteristics (lettering and faint star on the king’s breast) that mark it out as belonging to class 9b. On the reverse the legend reads VILA BRI STO LIE, so it was struck at the mint situated in Bristol.

Valuation

Unfortunately, the overall condition isn’t good. The obverse would grade only Fair and the reverse about Fine. Pennies of Bristol are certainly scarcer than London but in its present condition my price range on this one would be no higher than £12 – £15.