Tealby type penny of Henry II

Alex Hilton told me that he unearthed this coin last week on a site a few miles from Thirsk (Yorkshire). He said that a full ID and a valuation on his find would be appreciated.

Firstly, the coin is a cross and crosslets or Tealby type penny of Henry II. This coinage started in 1154, ended in 1189, and was the worst series of coins ever produced in England. Most of the examples in the hoard found at Tealby in Lincolnshire in 1807 were melted down, purely because the standard of striking was so bad. Curiously, the mints in the north of England (Durham, Carlisle and Newcastle) were the only ones that managed to make reasonable looking coins.

Both sides of the coin found by Alex have flat areas but enough detail is visible for a full ID. What can be seen of the legend on the reverse reads —TIE –ON: PIL–. If the full legend was visible then it would read +LANTIER:ON:PILTV so Lantier is the moneyer and Wilton the mint.

Valuation

The coin is a very rare moneyer and mint combination for the Tealby coinage. It’s actually not in bad condition for a Tealby penny and should be of interest to specialist collectors. If offered for sale at auction and properly catalogued I’d expect the pre-sale estimate to be set at £200-250.

Valuation Service

If you would like your coin identified or valued, please read about my valuation service and contact me