1 Penny - Edward I Sterling type, class 6a

Class 6a marks a specific stage in Edward I's systematic recoinage program, which began in earnest after the disastrous state of English currency inherited from Henry III — clipped, debased, and widely counterfeited. The 1279 recoinage had established the sterling penny as a rigidly controlled instrument, with minting franchises revoked from barons and bishops who had historically struck their own coin. By the time class 6a was produced, virtually all legal striking was concentrated at London and Canterbury under tight crown supervision.

The classification itself was established by Lawrence and refined by subsequent scholars parsing minute differences in lettering, crown form, and face style across thousands of die combinations.