Code: 12870
This is an Anglo-Saxon silver penny of King Æthelred II, minted in Lincoln, possibly by the moneyer Osgeat who is known to have minted coins of this type.
Obverse +ÆĐELRÆD REX A (Aethelred king of the English) helmeted armoured bust left with radiate stylised helmet,
Reverse +osgvt mωo linc. (Osgut Moneyer of Lincoln) voided long cross over trefoil-tipped quatrefoil legend.
This coin started life as a penny, but it was necessitated in trade to chop the coins into smaller fractional denominations as halfpennies and farthings. These coins were legal tender and a halfpenny was simply a penny cut in half, whilst farthings (four things) were divided into four parts.
DENOMINATION: Farthing (1/4 penny)
CULTURE: Saxon England
DATE: 978 - 1013 A.D. (this issue between 1003 - 1009 AD)
MATERIAL: Silver
SIZE: 9.6mm x 9mm
WEIGHT: 0.29 grams
ATTRIBUTION: Mossop pl. xviii, 3, this coin; BEH 1838; North 775; Spink 1152
PROVENANCE: Formerly in a private collection in Rochester, United Kingdom
