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Penny - Æthelstan Cross/Rosette type
| Issuer | England |
|---|---|
| Year | 924-939 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Central field occupied by a small cross pattée set within a raised solid inner circle, the arms of the cross clearly defined against the flat field. A circular legend in Roman capitals runs between the inner circle and the beaded outer border, reading retrograde in parts as characteristic of Anglo-Saxon hammered coinage. The overall design is stark and bold, typical of the Two-Line and cross types produced under Æthelstan, with the inscription invoking his title as King of all Britain. |
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| Obverse lettering | ÆÐELSTAN RE+ TO BR (Translation: Aethelstan King of all Britain) |
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| Additional information |
Æthelstan was the first king to rule a genuinely unified England, having consolidated authority over the Danelaw following his victory at the Battle of Brunanburh in 937. His coinage reform was equally ambitious — he issued the Grateley decrees around 928, which mandated that all minting occur in designated boroughs under royal supervision, a direct attempt to standardize a monetary system that had been fragmentary and regionally inconsistent for generations. The Rosette type belongs to this reforming impulse.
North 681 encompasses considerable die variety across a documented spread of minting towns, and examples can often be attributed to specific moneyers whose names appear on the reverse.