Date: c. 1015-1035
An Hiberno-Norse. Phase II Penny in the name of Sihtric but Mint & Moneyer uncertain
Description:
An Hiberno-Norse. Phase II Penny in the name of Sihtric but Mint & Moneyer uncertain.
- Weight: 1.29 g
- References:
- O’Sullivan 12; SCBI BM 80; S 6122; DF 23
- Very Fine (VF)
- Rare
Obverse:
- Draped bust left with two pellets before, cross patteé behind neck
- Badly blundered legend:
- + INTRC REX NDIFNI
- (translates as “Sihtric, King of Dublin”)
- + INTRC REX NDIFNI
Reverse:
- Long voided cross, with triple crescent ends and pellet in each angle
- Badly blundered legend:
- + NINIC ONN NIN
- (Moneyer: uncertain)
- (Mint: uncertain)
- + NINIC ONN NIN
Country:
- Ireland
Category:
- Hiberno-Norse
- Phase 2
- Hammered
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
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
The Old Currency Exchange is a specialist dealer and valuer of Irish & GB coins, tokens and banknotes 
Do the small pellets have any significance on the coins or are they just for decoration
LikeLike
The dies for earlier (Saxon) coins were mostly engraved, but the increasing demand for currency resulting from the growth of the monetary economy required that vastly greater numbers of coins were produced. Consequently, dies had to be produced far more quickly and in far greater numbers. The solution adopted was to replace the engraving process with the far more efficient (but artistically inferior) process of creating the dies using a small range of simple punches (known as ‘irons’ at the time).
The range consisted mainly of simple designs, such as pellets, annulets, crescents, bars, and triangles.
This simple kit was used to produce the king’s portrait, all the letters and the reverse design.
It is likely that the Dublin Vikings merely copied their technology.
Of course, many of the Hiberno-Norse coins appear to have been made by English moneyers, so they would have produced them as quickly as possible and this may also explain why the coins have Latin text (as opposed to Runic) and why so many of the legends are blundered – it must have been difficult to translate from Old Norse into Latin text / phonetic Old English.
LikeLike