John Short Cross Penny – Class Vc

Most of the finds on my website have been sent in by detectorists I have never had dealings with but a few belong to people I have known for quite a length of time. The coin featured here was unearthed by John Baker, for whom I have been identifying finds for several years. John’s latest submission is a class Vc voided short cross penny of King John. On the reverse the legend reads  +IOhAN M ON CA, so Iohan M is the moneyer and Canterbury the mint.

At the time this coin was struck there were three moneyers named Iohan at the Canterbury mint; therefore, pennies had Iohan M, Iohan B or just Iohan on the reverse. If some pennies were discovered to be underweight or not struck in sterling silver, it was vitally important that the moneyer responsible for the issue of the coins was named on the reverse. This removed the possibility of the wrong moneyer being blamed for discrepancies.

Valuation

John’s coin has been struck slightly off centre and there is a flat area on both sides but it is still quite attractive. It’s not particularly scarce but should still be worth £40-50.

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