PAS Finds (w/e 16/12/22) Danelaw copy of an Alfred penny

December 23, 2022January 6, 2023 Paul

PAS Finds (w/e 16/12/22) Danelaw copy of an Alfred penny

My selection of the detecting finds recorded at the PAS during the week ended 16 December 2022.

Featured Find

Viking imitation of Alfred London Monogram penny

Photo: The Portable Antiquities Scheme CC By SA2.0

Period: Anglo-Saxon

Date found: 20/12/2021

Location: Pakenham, Suffolk

A Danelaw imitation of an Alfred the Great “London Monogram” penny. It was found it 2021 but has only recently been recorded at the PAS where it has been designated a Find of Note of Regional Importance.

Danelaw

In 886, a treaty between Alfred the Great and Guthrum, the Danish warlord, defined the boundaries of their respective kingdoms. The treaty provided for peaceful relations between the two kingdoms.

This coin was found near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk which is in the Kingdom of Guthrum.

London Monogram

By the same date, Alfred had taken control of London. The “London Monogram” pennies were struck in the name of Alfred in London. These had a diademed bust facing right on the obverse and LVNDONIA (“London”) in the form of an iconic monogram on the reverse. These coins were copied in the Danelaw kingdom.

Selection of other finds

Photo: Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum CC By SA2.0

Contemporary copy of an as of Claudius

The PAS have identified this as a contemporary copy of an as of Claudius, with a reverse type from Tiberius. A Find of Note of Regional Importance.

Photo: Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum CC By SA2.0

Nummus of Constans

A nummus of Constans of a rare issue, with a previously unrecorded officina. The PAS record suggests that it may be a contemporary copy due to its crude appearance. It has been designated a Find of Note of National Importance.

Photo: National Museums Liverpool CC By SA2.0

Anglo-Saxon ringed pin

A copper-alloy ringed pin which has been dated to c. 950-1050. It is a Find of Note of Regional Importance.