1 Penny - Henry III Long Cross type, class 3a1

The Long Cross coinage was introduced by Henry III in 1247 specifically to combat the widespread practice of coin clipping — by extending the cross design to the very edge of the flan, any clipping became immediately visible. Class 3a1 belongs to the earliest phase of the recoinage managed under the supervision of William of Gloucester and Philip Ayremind, appointed by the king to oversee the exchange of the old Short Cross pennies that had circulated, increasingly clipped and debased, since 1180.

The recoinage of 1247 required every subject to surrender old coin at a discount. Compliance was compulsory.