Sceatta of series E, variety F

Alan Hewitt said that the find featured here was his first Saxon coin in 17 years of detecting. After he was unable to pin it down a friend suggested that he should send it in to my website.

The coin is a silver sceatta and it does belong to the Anglo-Saxon but it was struck on the Continent and will have arrived in England through trade. It’s an example of series E, variety F.

On the obverse is a degraded head (sometimes referred to as a porcupine), which is unusual in having the crescent surrounded by pellets. On the reverse is a square standard, with a ring-and-dot centre surrounded by bars and pellets; this is surrounded by a pseudo legend. Ordinary sceattas of series E are listed in the Standard Catalogue as 790 to 790D. Most are fairly common but variety F is quite rare.

Valuation

The reverse has been struck off centre but Alan’s find is otherwise in good VF condition. A comparable specimen was sold at auction last year and the hammer price was £100. This figure might not seem high but it is double the price that an ordinary sceatta of series E would be likely to achieve.

Valuation Service

If you would like your coin identified or valued, please contact me