This Week’s New Listings
This page will be updated every Tuesday and will contain all the latest Coin, Token & Medal listings for that
particular week.
Additions to Web Site week commencing: Tuesday 30th June 2009
Round
Halfpennies
WMH-4814: Henry 1st Hammered
Silver ROUND Halfpenny. Facing head,
cross potent with pellets in angles. No
B.M.C. number but this coin is officially snicked, indicating that the issue
falls somewhere between types 6 and 14.
Around 1107, during the type VI coinage, the government ordered all
coins to be mutilated at issue to prove to the public that the entire coin was
silver. It is interesting to note that
in 1124 all of the English moneyers were summoned to Winchester,
where most of them were castrated and had the right hand amputated, on the
orders of Henry I. The king seems to have suspected the moneyers of
malpractice, and he acted with typical ruthlessness. There is a unique halfpenny recorded with its
reverse using a class 9 penny die. Class
9 was struck in 1109. This coin is 1 of
only 13 known examples with the Fitzwilliam holding 8 and the British Museum
holding at least one (Hereford mint).
Several of the other 12 examples are damaged with large chips missing,
presumably along the mutilation cut (see Fitzwilliam early medieval corpus, 410
– 1180). This example is probably one of
the best struck of all extant examples.
Extra (large) images here and here. The moneyer is Thorsteinn and the mint is
either Norwich or Northampton
although as the find spot is Norfolk
and there is already a Norwich
halfpenny (damaged) recorded (Fitzwilliam corpus), a Norwich
mint town looks a strong favourite. The
coin is sold with a printout of the Fitzwilliam entry in the corpus. Likely to be the only Henry 1st
round halfpenny in private hands and further likely to be the best example out
of all known examples. 
P.O.A.
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