Date: c. 1018-1035

Description:

An Hiberno-Norse / Hiberno-Scandinavian Phase II Silver Penny. Dublin mint attributed to Sihtric, King of Dublin and struck by Siult, moneyer of Dublin.

• Diameter: 19 mm
• Weight: 1.45 g
•  References:
  • SCBI 22 (Copenhagen), 62–3; SCBC 6122; O’S Type 3; Hildebrand 73
• Some light deposits and a few minor marks. Lightly toned.
• Almost Extremely Fine (aEF)
  • Very rare in this grade + a very rare Dublin viking moneyer

Obverse:

• Draped bust left, with small cross pattée behind neck
• Clear, readable legend:
  • + SIHTRC RE+ DYFLM
    • (Translates as “Sihtric, King of Dublin”)

Reverse:

• Long voided cross, with triple crescent ends; pellets in quarters
• Slightly blundered legend:
  • + SIVLT MΘ DIFLINΛM
    • (translates as Moneyer = “Siult 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
    • This example is, at 1.45 grammes, quite heavy for the genre
    • This places it at the beginning of Phase II

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