Date: c. 1015-1035

Hiberno-Scandinavian period, Phase II, Long Cross Penny.

• Weight: 0.77g (very light for Phase II)
• Very fine (VF)
• Rare

References:

• SCBI BM –; S 6122; DF 22

Obverse:

Draped bust left; pellet on chin, wedge-shaped lips, two pellets on neck

• Legend: +IIII +IhCTRI +HDIC
  
• Badly blundered legend (for Phase II) but recognisable as “Sihtric, King of Dublin”

Reverse:

Long voided cross, small pellet in each angle

• Legend: + IFI RNE NNO NHO
• Blundered legend, illegible

Country:

• Ireland

Category:

• Hiberno-Norse
  • Phase 2
    • Moneyer: Uncertain
• Hammered

 

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Additional Information:

During Phase II (c. 1018 to 1035) the coinage became lighter, possibly reflecting the declining fortunes of the Kingdom of Dublin.

• While early Phase I coins weighed about 1.5 grammes
  • By Phase II the average weight of the coinage is reduced to 1.2 grammes
  • This is an extremely light example of a Phase II penny

The inscriptions (legends) on Phase II coins are, typically, ‘blundered’

• This is a numismatic term for mis-spelt, or a jumble of letters
  • bits of the name “Sihtric” and “Dyflin” are still often recognizable
• On the obverse of Phase II coins, a J-shaped symbol – interpreted as an inverted bishop’s crozier – sometimes appears behind the bust
• Small pellets, typically, appear in the angles of the long cross on the reverse

 

Other Coins in this Series:

• Check List: Hiberno-Norse Coinage

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