Penny of Offa type 98

Pictured here is a penny of Offa, who was King of Mercia from AD 752 to 796. As could be expected with such a long reign, a huge number of coins will have been struck bearing his name. Lots of different types and varieties are on record but most are very rare indeed. However, the overall number has risen considerably over the last few decades due to a continuing stream of detecting finds.

The coin illustrated here was found very recently by Wendy Hall. The images were sent in to the website with a request for more information and a valuation.

The standard reference work on this king is The Coinage of Offa and His Contemporaries by Derek Chick (edited by Mark Blackburn and Rory Naismith), which was published in 2010. Wendy’s find is an example of type 98, of which there are a number of different varieties. Chick listed seven coins of the type (98a-g); the coin found by Wendy is closest to 98e-g but the exact die combination is slightly different. The type was struck at Canterbury during the light coinage of King Offa.

On the obverse is a bare-headed bust of the king with OFFA in front and REX (reading downwards) behind.  In the centre of the reverse is a cross within a lozenge with incurved sides and on each tip of the lozenge is a fleur. The letters making up the name of the moneyer are ‘boxed-in’ and two are not clear. However, the most likely reading is +A L R Ed, so the moneyer will be Ealred.

Valuation

As already mentioned, in 2010 only seven examples of this type of Offa penny were on record. Today there might be one or two more but it is still extremely rare.     

The coin would grade good Fine but it would benefit from cleaning by someone trained in handling precious coins. In its ‘as found’ condition a likely pre-sale auction estimate would be £900 to £1,200 but after it has been attended to by an expert conservator the estimate would be higher.

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