Date: c. 995-1015

Hiberno-Norse, Phase I, Class B Penny, Draped bust left with one pellet behind neck

Description:

An Hiberno-Norse. Phase I Penny. Dublin mint, moneyer: Færemin.

• Weight: 1.59 g
• References:
  • SCBI BM 31-2; S 6106; DF 11
• Well-struck on a neat round flan, about extremely fine (aEF)
• Slightly creased, but overall design is of a high grade and scarce

Obverse:

• Draped bust left with one pellet behind neck
• Slightly blundered legend:
  • + AETHELRED REX AIGMNO
    • (translates as “Aethelred, King of England”)

Reverse:

• Long voided cross, with triple crescent ends and pellet in each angle
• Unusually clear legend:
  • + FAEREMIN M·O DYFLI
    • (translates as Moneyer = “Faeremin of Dublin”)

Country:

• Ireland

Category:

• Hiberno-Norse
  • Phase 1
• Hammered

Additional Information:

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

• Early Phase I coins weighed about 1.5 grammes (This is early Phase I @ 1.59g)
  • By Phase II the average weight of the coinage is reduced to 1.2 grammes

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:

• 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