A silver penny struck during the reign of Æthelred II, known as “the Unready,” one of the most prominent kings of Anglo-Saxon England. The coin belongs to the Long Cross type, introduced in the monetary reform of 997, designed to prevent clipping by extending the cross to the edges of the flan.
Aethelred II ruled in a turbulent period marked by repeated Viking invasions that devastated much of England. His monetary reforms, including the introduction of the Long Cross type, aimed to stabilize the coinage system and protect against debasement and clipping. These pennies served as the primary currency of the kingdom and as a tool of royal propaganda, displaying the image of the ruler as a guarantor of order and stability.
Pecks are visible on both sides of the coin, two on the obverse on the ruler's head and one on the reverse, in the third quarter of the cross.
Graded UNC DETAILS by NGC. Uncirculated details but with few pecks.
England, Aethelred II (978-1016), Long cross denarius, London mint, moneyer Godwin
Obverse: bust of the ruler, to the left
ÆTHELRED REX ANGLO
Reverse: long two-stranded cross, dividing the legend into four parts, each arm of which ends with three crescents
+LO|DMAN|MΩO|LVIND
Diameter 20 mm, weight 1.51 g
