Silver sceatta of Aethelred I

A detectorist named Ricky sent in the coin pictured here. Ricky wasn’t sure if it was an Anglo-Saxon styca or a sceatta so I was asked to provide a full ID.

On the obverse the legend reads +EDELDRE with the second E and the L reversed. On the reverse the legend reads TIDVVCF with a square letter C; this side bears the moneyer’s name, which in this case is Tidwulf. Therefore, this coin is a silver sceatta of Aethelred I, which was struck during the second reign (AD 789-96) of this Northumbrian king. In the Standard Catalogue sceattas of this type are listed as number 856.

Valuation

The legend on both sides is a bit blundered but this isn’t unusual for the type. There is some deposit on both sides but the coin is otherwise in VF condition. A likely pre-sale auction estimate on this sceatta would be in the region of £200.