Alfred's third coinage followed the Treaty of Wedmore in 878 and the subsequent partition of England with Guthrum. The reorganization of the coinage was part of a deliberate administrative rebuilding — Alfred restructured the mint network, tightened controls on moneyers, and enforced weight standards that had deteriorated badly during the Viking wars of the 870s. Several named moneyers active under this issue are documented in Alfred's burghal system, linking coin production directly to the fortified town network he was constructing across Wessex and Mercia.
North 639 covers considerable variety across moneyers and mint attributions, many of which remain contested.
Alfred's third coinage followed the Treaty of Wedmore in 878 and the subsequent partition of England with Guthrum. The reorganization of the coinage was part of a deliberate administrative rebuilding — Alfred restructured the mint network, tightened controls on moneyers, and enforced weight standards that had deteriorated badly during the Viking wars of the 870s. Several named moneyers active under this issue are documented in Alfred's burghal system, linking coin production directly to the fortified town network he was constructing across Wessex and Mercia.
North 639 covers considerable variety across moneyers and mint attributions, many of which remain contested.