Date: c. 995-1015 ?

Hiberno-Norse. Phase I, Class D (c.995-1015) Penny, Uncertain mint, 1.49g. An unusually heavy ‘contemporary forgery’ of an Hiberno-Norse imitation of Edward the Confessor’s small cross penny… or, is it a later forgery / counterfeit?

Description:

Although listed as a Phase V Hiberno-Norse silver penny in the Heritage Auction #3030, this coin is much more likely to be a ‘contemporary’ forgery of an Hiberno-Norse Phase I, Class D small cross penny. As such, it is also likely to have originated from an unknown Irish Sea mint. I reject the idea that it might be Hiberno-Norse, Phase V for the following reasons:

1. It is very heavy (at 1.49g) and almost double the average weight of Phase V coins.
2. It also weighs in at the high end of the Hiberno-Norse, Phase I, Class D too, so it would be interesting to assay the lead:silver content
3. Struck ‘off-centre, it has an uncertain mint signature (illegible legends) and an unknown moneyer – an unusual combination for the Hiberno-Norse, Phase I series
4. If it was of good silver, it would have been put back into the melting pot, so I am also rejecting the notion that it might have been a test piece by a moneyer in Viking Dublin
5. For the same reasons (as 4. above) I am also rejecting the notion that it might be a Scandinavian imitation of an English (Edward the Confessor) ‘small cross penny’
6. It is, in my opinion, either a contemporary (or much later) forgery

A very crude strike and poorly executed, leaving all but a few letters of an already badly blundered legend completely illegible. Despite that, the surfaces are remarkably well preserved and there is no evidence of peck marks, i.e. transactional usage.

• Weight: 1.49g
• Extremely Fine (EF)

References:

• A unique coin, not listed in any of the catalogues
  • Could it have originated from the Isle of Man, Galloway, the Maols, or even somewhere in Northern England?

Obverse:

• Draped bust left, cross pattée behind neck
• Pseudo-legend around

Reverse:

• Small cross pattée (crudely imitating Edward the Confessor’s small cross penny)
• Pseudo-legend around

Country:

• Ireland

Category:

• Hiberno-Norse
  • Phase 1 ‘contemporary’ forgery
    • Class D (Small Cross)
• Hammered

Other Coins in this Series:

• The Old Currency Exchange: Checklist (Hiberno-Norse)

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