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Denier - Olof Skötkonung Struck by Snelling
| Issuer | Sweden |
|---|---|
| Year | 995-1022 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Denier |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Crude hammered bust of Olof Skötkonung facing left, depicted in profile with a diadem or crown and holding a scepter before him, rendered in a bold, unsophisticated Viking-Age style typical of Anglo-Saxon-influenced Scandinavian coinage. The effigy is contained within a beaded or pelleted inner circle. A continuous Latin legend surrounds the central device, reading OLAF RX AOIIZTLIN, the lettering showing irregular spacing and occasional blundered letterforms characteristic of early Swedish imitative issues. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A bold voided or plain cross divides the reverse field into four quadrants, each containing a single letter, together spelling CRVX, a common devotional formula on medieval coinage. The cross extends to the inner circle, with each arm clearly delineated. A continuous Latin legend surrounds the design, attributing the coin to the moneyer Snelling, with the lettering exhibiting blundered or transposed characters consistent with early Scandinavian imitative practice modeled on contemporary Anglo-Saxon penny types. |
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| Additional information |
Olof Skötkonung's coinage was the first native-struck currency in Swedish history, produced at Sigtuna by moneyers trained in the Anglo-Saxon tradition — Snelling among them, almost certainly recruited directly from English mints where the Crux and Long Cross penny types were then current. The transfer of technique was deliberate policy: Olof had been baptized around 1008 and sought to align his kingdom visually and commercially with Christian Europe.
Snelling's issues are identifiable by name on the coin itself — a direct borrowing of the English practice of naming the responsible moneyer. Surviving examples are rare; total output from Sigtuna across all moneyers was modest, and Swedish hoards of this period are dominated by imported Æthelred II pennies rather than domestic product.