Date: c. 1018-1035

Description:

An Hiberno-Norse. Phase II Penny. Dublin mint attributed to Sihtric, King of Dublin, moneyer: Wulfric of Worcester (Weorgoranceaster) with draped bust left, Ш on neck, pellet-in-annulet behind neck.

• Diameter: 17 mm
• Weight: 0.69 g
•  References:
  • SCBI 8 (BM), 111 (same dies); SCBI 22 (Copenhagen), 104 (same dies); SCBI 32 (Belfast), 115 (same dies); SCBC 6126
• A near-perfect example for the type, with no wear and very few detracting marks
  • Excellent ‘eye appeal’
• Choice EF (gEF), toned.
  • Very rare in this grade

Obverse:

• Draped bust left with Ш on neck, pellet-in-annulet behind neck
• Clear, albeit badly blundered legend:
  • + ИHRNΛR∂ ΛN REX I
    • (possibly ??? translates as “Sihtric, King of Dublin”)

Reverse:

• Long voided cross, with triple crescent ends; pellet in first three angles, Ш in fourth
• Blundered legend:
  • + PVLFRIC ON PIRH MΘINI
    • (translates as Moneyer = “Wulfric of Worcester”)

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