Penny - Henry I Cross in Quatrefoil type

Henry I's Cross in Quatrefoil type belongs to a reign defined by systematic attempts to crack down on moneyer fraud — a persistent problem under William II that Henry addressed through increasingly brutal enforcement. The Assize of 1108 saw dozens of moneyers mutilated, hands and testicles removed, for producing underweight or debased coin. The pennies struck in the immediate years following that assize are among the most carefully produced of the entire Norman period.

North 865 places this type within a sequence of roughly fifteen distinct penny types across Henry's thirty-five year reign, a proliferation driven partly by fiscal control and partly by the need to detect and recall fraudulent issues.