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Sceat Series E
| Issuer | Frisia |
|---|---|
| Year | 695-740 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Sceat |
| 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 |
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| Obverse description | Stylized bird or beast head in profile facing right, rendered in an abstract early medieval Germanic style. The design features a prominent circular eye with a pelleted centre, a curved beak, and sweeping feather-like or hair-like diagonal striations across the upper field. Multiple pellets are scattered in the field around the head, and wave-like forms appear in the lower portion of the flan, possibly representing wings or foliate decoration. The entire composition is uninscribed and characteristic of the Porcupine-type Frisian sceat tradition. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | (uninscribed) |
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| Additional information |
Series E sceats are among the most prolific of all early medieval silver issues, yet their production point remained contested for decades. The Frisian attribution is now well-supported by the density of finds clustering around the Rhine-Meuse delta, particularly from sites like Domburg and Dorestad — both major emporia in the North Sea trading network of the late 7th and early 8th centuries. Dorestad itself was already a significant commercial hub before Carolingian reorganization, and these coins moved through it in volume.
Metcalf's die studies identified considerable variation across the 190–193 sequence, suggesting multiple workshops operating without strict central oversight.