Date: c. 1015-1035

Description:

An Hiberno-Norse, Phase II Silver Penny. Badly blundered legend but attributable to Sihtric, King of Dublin and his moneyer: Færemin at the Dublin mint.

• Diameter: 18 mm
• Weight: 1.06 g
• References:
  • SCBI 32 (Ulster), 104-5; SCBC 6128
• An unusual variant on a chipped flan, with an off-centre and blundered legend

Obverse:

• Draped bust left with ‘wheel motif’ on neck
• Incomplete and badly blundered legend:
  • Attributable to “Sihtric, King of Dublin”

Reverse:

• Long voided cross, with triple crescent ends, and pellet & double pellets in alternating quarters
• Badly blundered and incomplete legend:
  • Attributable to “Faeremin of Dublin”

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