King John, penny

John Lashmar asked if I could identify and value this hammered silver coin. It looked fairly straightforward but it turned out not to be.

This is a voided short cross penny of class Vb of King John. In the Standard Catalogue pennies of this class are listed as number 1351.

The coin is flat at the top of the obverse and in a corresponding area on the reverse, which makes it difficult to translate the legends. What can be seen of the legend on the reverse reads +REN—D.O—-. The name of only one moneyer of John starts with REN and ends with D and that is Renaud (sometimes listed as Renald). Two mints are listed for him: Norwich and York. The Norwich mint signature is usually NOR or NORW and the signature for York is EV or EVE. The end of the reverse legend on John’s coin is indistinct but it doesn’t seem to fit Norwich or York.

Therefore, whilst the reign, class and moneyer of this coin is known, the mint where it was struck is uncertain. However, it is either Norwich or York.

    

Valuation

The coin has a really nice bust of John but a minus point is the flat areas and the doubt about the mint. As it stands, I would suggest a price range of £80 – £90.