Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Penny - Beornwulf Group II
| Issuer | Mercia, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 823-825 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Penny (1⁄240) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A cross crosslet, boldly rendered in angular hammered relief, occupies the centre of a beaded inner circle. The cross arms are clearly defined with a small secondary cross at the intersection, consistent with the Group II reverse type. Pellets or annulets punctuate the field between the inner circle and the outer legend. The moneyer's name is distributed around the outer legend in angular Anglo-Saxon capital letterforms, separated by a cross at the commencement. The overall design is characteristic of the schematic Mercian penny reverse of the early ninth century. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Beornwulf seized the Mercian throne in 823 after the deposition of Ceolwulf I, and his reign lasted only until 826 when he was killed campaigning against the East Angles — a military disaster that effectively ended Mercian dominance over the southern English kingdoms. Group II pennies belong to the middle phase of his coinage, issued after Egbert of Wessex's decisive victory at Wroughton in 825 had already begun dismantling Mercian political authority. Surviving examples are genuinely scarce; Beornwulf's total reign spanned barely three years.