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Penny - Æthelstan Tower type
| Issuer | England |
|---|---|
| Year | 924-939 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays a stylised architectural structure, interpreted as a tower or building with a pitched roof set upon a ground line, occupying the central field. The moneyer's name FROTEGER is divided and arranged in two horizontal registers flanking and below the building, reading FR OT across the top and YE RM / MON across the lower registers, with MON being an abbreviation for monetarius (moneyer). The composition is framed within a beaded border and follows the standard Tower type reverse design associated with Æthelstan's coinage reform. The crude but distinctive lettering and architectural motif are hallmarks of mid-tenth-century Anglo-Saxon hammered silver penny production. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | FR OT I:E RM MoN (Translation: Froteger, moneyer) |
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| Additional information |
Æthelstan's reign marked the first time a king of Wessex could plausibly claim rule over a unified English kingdom, a reality reflected in his coinage. The Tower type belongs to his early issues, struck before the more assertive "Rex Totius Britanniae" titles appeared on later pieces. Minting was decentralized — output came from numerous burh mints established under the Burghal Hidage system inherited from Alfred — which means die workmanship varies considerably across surviving examples.
North 683 specimens turn up most often from the eastern Danelaw hoards, suggesting active circulation in recently absorbed territories.