Penny - Edward Expanding Cross type, light issue

The Expanding Cross penny type was introduced under Edward the Confessor as part of a systematic renewal cycle — English mints were required to periodically re-tool with new dies, a mechanism that gave the Crown both quality control and a cut of the recoinage profits. The "light" issue reflects a deliberate weight reduction enacted around 1050, dropping below the heavier standard of the preceding Trefoil Quadrilateral type. Moneyers caught striking underweight coins outside of sanctioned reductions faced severe penalties, including mutilation.