Date: c. 1055/60-1065

Description:

Hiberno-Norse. Circa 1055/60-1065. AR Penny (17mm, 1.06 g, 3h). Phase IV (’scratched die’) Class A, Type 1 coinage, Long Cross type. Uncertain mint signature and moneyer. O`S 22; SCBI 32 (Ulster), 310-5; D&F 25; SCBC 6134.

• Very Fine (VF)
  • Toned

Obverse:

• + IIII + IRIIONIIIOIIIO, draped bust left; numerous pellets around

Reverse:

• IMI IIIL IIIIR IIIM, voided long cross, with triple crescent ends; two pellets in first quarter, ‘hand’ symbol in second, trefoil of pellets in third, X and two pellets in fourth.

Country:

• Ireland

Category:

• Hiberno-Norse
  • Phase 4
    • Class A
    • Type 1
    • Bust left / Long Cross type
• Hammered

Additional Information:

The brief Phase IV (c. 1055 – 1065) saw further deterioration in the weight and workmanship of the coins. It was a chaotic period in Ireland’s Late Medieval history, with various minor kingdoms and clans competing for control of the coastal towns.

• Hiberno-Norse rulers lost control of Dublin in 1052, and some of these Phase IV coins may have been struck at other locations, but we cannot be certain of where.
• Phase IV coins are described as ‘scratched die’ types, because the design seems to have been crudely scratched into the dies, rather than carefully engraved.

Further Reading:

• O’Brien Coin Guide: Anglo-Saxon Coins & Their Links to Ireland
• O’Brien Coin Guide: Who Introduced Anglo-Saxon Coins to Ireland and why ?
• O’Brien Coin Guide: Introduction to the Hiberno-Norse Coinages of the Late 10th & Early 11th C