April
 2003 Issue
By James C. Johnston Jr.
Photos by Steven Vater

           After the Romans left Britain in the early part of the 5th century, the people of that island faced many problems. Not the least of these was a question of national identity. The southern part of the island, England, fragmented into many kingdoms. Wessex, Mercia, Kent, and other kingdoms sprang up in response to the political vacuum left by Rome’s departure from the island.

            In time, the Saxons, Danes, and other peoples would invade the island and carve out their own political units. Most of the original Britains were driven into the western part of the island and Wales. Vikings like Guthrum, Oscetel, and Anwend carved out their own kingdoms and fell, in turn, on the kingdom of Alfred-the-Great, Wessex. Ethelred the Unready (don’t you just love the names) paid the vikings off with money known as “Danegeld.”

            The word “Danegeld” literally means “Dane’s Money.” So where did the money come from that pictured the abstract portraits of these early English rulers? It was struck in dozens of dozens of mints all over the island under the authority of many and various kings. The coinage they minted was called “Hammered Money.”

           

          It was so called because the coinage was hand hammered using hand made dies and huge hammers. Coinage had existed in England since the pre-Roman period. Many coins were struck by the Iceni.

           Some of these Iron Age coins featured wonderfully abstract horses (as seen in figure 1). This coin contrasts widely with this gold solidus of Roman General Magnus Maximus who styled himself as Emperor of Britain about 383 C.E. This piece shows the sophistication of Roman coinage at its best (figure 2).

            By the 7th century, the silver English Penny had evolved as the standard hammered coinage of Britain. Eventually the silver penny would become the standard for European coinage of the Middle Ages. The penny was loosely based on the Roman denarius. 240 silver pennies could be struck from a pound of fine silver.

            Until 1971, the English monetary system was based on a pound which was made up of 240 pennies, or twenty shillings or four crowns, or 10 florins. I have been working on a set of silver pennies representing all of England’s various rulers going back to the end of the Roman Era. Among the rarest is a coin of Offa, a ruler who established a kingdom south of the Humber River, which embraced all of southern England. In figure 3, one can see a refined yet abstract portrait of Offa struck about 785 C.E. The Roman influence can clearly be seen. Offa built churches like Brixworth which still stands today (figure 4) some 1,250 years  later.

            My favorite pre-Norman conquest king of England wasn’t English at all. He was a Dane by the name of Canute (also spelled Cnut). Canute ruled over Norway, Denmark, and England. He was enlightened and modest. I am fortunate to have been able to locate several of his hammered silver pennies in uncirculated condition (figure 5).

            The best story told of Canute is about how one of his coutiers tried to flatter him. The courtier told him, “You are such a great and powerful king that even the sea would obey you.”

            “Let us see if you speak the truth,” said the king.

            Canute ordered his throne carried down to the sea at low tide. The court watched as the tide came in. As it approached the throne, Canute ordered the sea back. Yet on it came lapping the kings feet. Canute turned to the courtier and smiled. “I’m afraid I’m not so great a king as you think.”

            Harold was the last of the Saxon kings. His reign of nine months in 1065 and 1066 came after that of the childless saint, Edward the Confessor. Edward was sloppy about the political realities in the question of his successor. The king of Norway, Harold, and William Duke of Normandy would claim the throne to which Harold Godwinson ascended in 1065. Harald was killed by Harold in battle, but Harold, in turn, fell to William the Conqueror at Hastings in 1066. Harold is depicted (figure 6) on this silver penny.

            The story of William’s conquest of England in 1066 is interesting. William came to his position as Duke of Normandy when his father named him as his successor. William was a child at the time and a bastard son at that. The fact that he lived to claim his dukedom was an amazing feat in the 11th century.

            William was 38 years old when he led his invasion fleet to England. When he landed, he fell from his boat. His troops saw this as an evil omen and were about to panic, but the ever resourceful William called out, “Look how England reaches up to embrace her king.”

            The troops cheered and went on to defeat Harold. Several types of pennies were minted depicting the first Norman ruler of England. I have managed to corner half a dozen of the coins. This one, pictured in figure 6, is typical. Most rulers after William are not depicted in profile but in full face.

          In 1966, the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, the British government printed a set of eight stamps depicting scenes of the Battle of Hastings (figure 7) taken from the world’s most historic piece of needlework, the Bayeux Tapestry. This wonderful treasure, commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, was almost lost to history. In point of fact, during the French Revolution it was used as a covering on a cart!          

         The wonderful reality of collecting English hammered pennies is that they are on the whole cheaper than nice U.S.-type coins. Silver pennies in very fine to extra fine condition can be found for less than $100 or $200 for those minted after 1154. Earlier coins and key reign coins are more expensive. But a nice representation collection can be put together of hammered pennies. I will write more about this topic later on in 2003.