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Penny - Offa Heavy coinage
| Issuer | Kingdom of Mercia |
|---|---|
| Year | 792-796 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 1.45 g |
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| Obverse description | The obverse bears the royal name OFFA arranged in a cross-shaped disposition across the field, with the letters separated by a central annulet containing a pellet rosette, forming a cruciform design characteristic of the Mercian heavy coinage. A cross pattée appears above the central medallion, and additional cross symbols occupy the cardinal inter-letter spaces. The entire design is enclosed within a beaded border. The bold, angular letterforms are executed in the distinctive insular script style of late 8th-century Anglo-Saxon die-cutting. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Offa's decision to introduce a heavier penny standard — roughly doubling the weight of earlier issues — was almost certainly tied to Charlemagne's monetary reform of 793–794, which standardized the Frankish denier at approximately 1.7g. Cross-Channel trade demanded parity, and Offa, who had negotiated directly with Charlemagne over merchant rights and the movement of pilgrims, had every commercial reason to align Mercian silver with continental weight norms. The two rulers famously fell out over a proposed dynastic marriage, briefly suspending trade entirely.
North 319 encompasses several distinct moneyer attributions, and the specific moneyer on any given specimen materially affects its rarity.