Coins
Coins
Coins
Guide 37
Carl Savage
Carl Savage
Carl Savage is a freelance medieval and post medieval numismatist based in Carlisle. He is
responsible for the identification of medieval and post medieval coinage for the Portable Antiquities
Scheme in Lancashire and Cumbria and is also the numismatic consultant to several archaeological
companies in the UK. He has also worked in commercial archaeology on various sites and is an
accredited member of the IFA. For enquires email bennev@aol.com
Contents
Introduction
Today coins are mostly found by metal detectorists but occasionally they are found on
archaeological sites. This guide will offer a basic and easy to use identification guide for the
main types of English medieval coins dating from 1066-1544. The guide will be divided into
two parts; the first part will be an introduction to medieval coins detailing the basic layout
and how to read the legends and also the different denominations. The second part will be a
simple classification guide covering the English medieval coinage from the Norman
Conquest in 1066 to Henry VIIIs debasement of the coinage in 1544.
Numismatic terminology
When dealing with coins its important to be aware of some of the more specialist
terminology used and this small section will give a glossary of some of the terminology.
Obverse: This is the side with the rulers bust or name.
Reverse: The other side of the coin usually with the mint signature.
Legend: The inscription, coins without legends are known as a mute or anepigraphic.
Blank: The blank metal before its struck into a coin
Flan: The piece of metal after striking
Die: Block of metal with the design cut into it. Two dies, an obverse and reverse were
needed to produce the coin.
Mule: A coin with the current type on one side and an earlier type on the other or a coin
struck from a pair of dies not normally used together.
Hammered: Coins struck by hand between two dies
Milled: Coins struck by dies in a coining press
Moneyer: Person in charge of producing coins at the mint prior to 1279. Some mints had
more than one moneyer working there.
Initial mark: The symbol placed at the start of the obverse or reverse legend
Mintmark: the term applied to the symbol when it does not appear at the start of the
obverse and reverse legend.
Obverse
Initial mark
Reverse
Mint signature
The first example is a Henry III class 5a3 voided long cross penny minted by Nicholas in
London dating from 1251-c.53. The obverse legend starts at 10 O Clock after the sceptre
The obverse legend reads HENRICVSREX III while the reverse legend reads NICOLE ONL VND
It will be noticed that some of the letters are joined together (ligate) such as the N and R in
HENRICVS and the O and N in ON and the N and D in LVND. Ligate letters are common on
coins of Henry III and earlier.
The second example is an Edward I class 3g long cross penny of the London mint dating from
1280-81. The legend starts at 12 O Clock after the initial mark
The diagram above shows the division of the obverse legend so with the divisions the legend
reads as +EDW R ANGL DNS hYB
There are a large number of different legends on medieval coins and far too many to list
here. For a full list of legends and their meanings on medieval coins see
http://www.psdetecting.com/Inscriptions.html
Denominations
This section will look at the various denominations used in the English coinage. Not all
denominations were added at once, some were added then retracted and some changed
name.
The standard unit was the penny and it was the only denomination produced between 1066
and 1279. Henry I and III did attempt to introduce a round halfpenny but this was not a
success and surviving specimens are extremely rare. To create a halfpenny or farthing prior
to 1279 the penny was cut in half or quartered to produce either a halfpenny or farthing.
There is some debate as to whether this process was carried out at the mint or as and when
it was needed. The diagram below shows a cut halfpenny and a cut farthing.
King John cut halfpenny, minted by Willelm and a Henry III cut farthing of the London mint.
In 1279 Edward I introduced a round farthing followed by a round halfpenny in 1280. These
coins proved to be a success and they were minted throughout the period. There are many
different varieties of halfpennies and farthings after 1279 and too many to list here. A good
reference guide is the small change series by P and B Withers published by Galata.
A new larger, silver coin known as the groat and its half was introduced by Edward III in
1351. Edward I had tried to introduce them in his coin reforms of 1279 but they were not a
success and production of them ceased in the early 1280s. The groats of Edward I are
extremely rare and will probably not be found on a archaeological site. The diagram below
shows a typical medieval groat
Edward III quarter noble of the treaty period (1363-69), London mint
After Edward IVs coin reforms in 1464/5 the noble was renamed the rose noble or ryal, the
design of the rose noble was similar to the noble shown above but a rose was added to the
ships hull. A new gold coin was added at the same time called the Angel, which depicts St
Michael slaying the dragon. After c.1470 this replaced the noble as the standard gold coin
and was produced along with the half angel.
Henry VIII gold angel of the first coinage (1509-26), London mint
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found Norman coins are Henry I type 15 and Stephen types 1 and 7. The coinages of the
Norman period are divided into types known as B.M.C (British Museum catalogue) based on
the work carried out by G. Brooke in the early 20th century.
William I (1066-87)
There are currently 8 B.M.C types for William I
William II (1087-99)
There are only 5 types for William II, though there is some debate as to whether the Paxs
type of William I was continued into William IIs reign.
Henry I (1100-35)
There are 15 types for Henry I and it was during this reign that the system of periodic recoinages every 2-4 years was abandoned after the purge of moneyers in c.1124. The most
common type found is type 15, which was in circulation for c.11 years. Following the work of
M. Blackburn the chronology of types has been revised from that of Brooke, the generally
accepted order is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 7, 8, 11, 10, 12, 13, 14 and 15. As there are a lot of types
for this reign not all of them will be shown below.
B.M.C type 1: Annulets type
B.M.C type 2: Profile/cross fleury type
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Stephen (1135-54)
There are four main types for Stephen but there are a lot more types dating from this reign
minted by barons, bishops and the Scots during the anarchy that is the civil wars between
Stephen and Henry Is daughter Matilda. Types 1 and 7 were the only nationwide issues,
types 2 and 6 were confined to the east of England under Stephens control and types 3, 4
and 5 were minted by southern lords in the name of Stephen. There are too many variants
and irregular issues to list here. Only the main types of Stephen will be listed below. The
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most common types of Stephen found are types 1 and 7. Type 7 was largely issued in the
reign of Henry II until 1158.
Further reading
For more detail on the history and background and coin types of the Norman period, the
selected works below will be useful.
Blackburn, M. 1991 Coinage and Currency under Henry I; A review Anglo-Norman studies
13, pp 49-81.
Blackburn, M. 1994 Coinage and currency in The anarchy of King Stephens reign, ed King,
E, Oxford, pp 145-205.
Brooke, G.C, 1916 Catalogue of the English coins in the British Museum. The Norman kings,
2 volumes, London.
Mack, R.P, 1966 Stephen and the Anarchy 1135-54 British Numismatic Journal 35, pp 145205
The short cross coinage was replaced in 1247 but a partial re-coinage took place under King
John in 1205/6. The short cross coinage covers the final 9 years of Henry II and the reigns of
Richard I, John and the first part of Henry III. All the coins have the obverse legend
HENRICVS REX and to the non-specialist it can be extremely difficult to tell which king a
short cross coin belongs to. In total there are eight main classes of short cross coins many of
which can be sub-divided the classes of each king are shown below:
Henry II (1158-89)
Class 1- can be sub-divided into 3 sub-classes A, B and C based on the number of curls in the
kings hair, the kings bust and the style of the lettering. An example of a Henry II short cross
class 1 coin is shown in the diagram above.
Richard I (1189-99)
There are three classes attributed to Richard I and are as follows:
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John (1199-1216)
There are two classes attributed to King John including class 4c and are as follows:
Class 5- hair curls contain pellets (except
class 5a1), can be sub-divided into 3 subclasses A, B and C all three sub-classes can be
further sub-divided. The sub-divisions are
based on portrait and lettering style
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Further reading
Brand, J. 1963 Some short cross questions British Numismatic Journal 33 pp 57-69
Mass, J. 1993 Of dies, design changes and square lettering in the opening phase of the short
cross coinage British Numismatic Journal 63 pp 21-52
Mass, J.P. 2001, The J.P. Mass Collection of English Short Cross Coins 1180-1247, SCBI 56,
Royal Academy: London.
Stewart, I. 1979 English coinage in the later years of John and the minority years of Henry III
part 1 British Numismatic Journal 49 pp 27-41
Stewart, I. 1981 English coinage in the later years of John and the minority years of Henry III
part 2 British Numismatic Journal 51 91-106
Wren, C.R. 2006 The Short-Cross Coinage 1180-1247. Henry II to Henry III, Spink, London.
Henry III class 5a3 voided long cross penny minted by Nicholas in London
The Henry III voided long cross coins can be divided into two main groups, those without a
sceptre and those with a sceptre. Classes I to III do not have a sceptre whilst classes IV to V
do.
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Class 1 has does not have the moneyers name on the reverse, can be sub-divided into two
types
Class II has the obverse legend HENRICVS REX TERCI, with the moneyers name on the
reverse
Class III has the obverse legend HENRICVS REX: III with the moneyer and mint on rev, can be
sub-divided into three types
Edward I (1279-1307)
Class VI is the first class of Edward I and has more realistic hair
Class VII is similar to class VI but of better quality and a lombardic U
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Edward I class VI voided long cross penny minted by IOH (John) in Bury St Edmunds
Further reading
Lawrence, L.A. 1912 The long-cross coinage of Henry III and Edward I British Numismatic
Journal 9 pp 145-179
Trifoliate crown
Bifoliate crown
The diagram below shows the five crown types for Edward I and II class 10cf (Source: Wood,
1989, 44).
There are five classes of 10cf each based on the crown type; for example 10cf1 has crown
type 1, cf2 has crown type 2 and so forth.
The crowns are important in identifying an Edward I and II coin here are a few examples of
crowns of different classes:
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Further reading
Fox, H. B. E and Fox, S. 1909 The numismatic history of the reigns of Edward I, II and III
British Numismatic Journal 6, pp 198-212
Fox, H. B. E and Fox, S. 1910 The numismatic history of the reigns of Edward I, II and III
British Numismatic Journal 7, pp 91-142
Fox, H. B. E and Fox, S. 1911 The numismatic history of the reigns of Edward I, II and III
British Numismatic Journal 8, pp 137-148
Fox, H. B. E and Fox, S. 1912 The numismatic history of the reigns of Edward I, II and III
British Numismatic Journal 9, pp 181-206
Fox, H. B. E and Fox, S. 1913 The numismatic history of the reigns of Edward I, II and III
British Numismatic Journal 10, pp 95-123
North, J. J. 1989 SCBI 39 The J.J North collection, Edwardian English silver coins 1279-1351
Oxford University Press
Withers, P and Withers, B. 2001 Farthings and half pennies of Edward I and II Galata,
Llanfyllin
divided into three main groups based on the legend, initial mark and lettering style. The
three main groups are based on the treaty of Bretigni, which was signed between England
and France in 1361. The first group is known as the pre-treaty period, the second group is
known as the treaty period and the third group is known as the post-treaty group. The
Characteristics of each will be described later.
Second coinage 1335-43
This coinage consisted purely of halfpennies and farthings, which were issued at 83.3%
fineness (the amount of silver each coin contained, the sterling standard of pervious coins
was 92.5%). These coins are identifiable by star mostly located at the end of the obverse
and reverse legends. The halfpennies can be divided into 5 types and the farthings 3 types
Edward III type 5(ii) halfpenny of the London mint. Six pointed star after ANG and DON
Third (florin) coinage 1344-51
The third or florin (named after the introduction of the short lived gold florin in 1344)
coinage saw the coins brought back up to the sterling standard but with a reduced weight
compared with earlier issues. The bust is of a new stlye with a large, spread bifoliate crown
with bushy hair. There are four main types based on the style of the letter N and legend for
example:
Class 1 the kings name is EDW with a lombardic n
Class 2 the kings name is EDWA with a lombardic n
Class 3 the kings name is EDW with a Roman N
Class 4 the kings name is EDW with a reversed N
There are also other types from other mints some of which the kings name is spelt
differently.
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Edward III pre-treaty series D groat with the French title FRANC normal letter X. The pretreaty period coins can be divided into seven types based on lettering style and initial mark.
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Treaty groat without French title instead the title of Aquitaine (Aquitaine title is not present
on pence) is inserted, the letter X is a different style and very distinct even on worn coins.
Post-treaty groat, French title resumed, reversed letter F for ET, which is shown as Z on
earlier coins. Letter X in the form of a St Andrews cross and saltire stops in the legends, on
the earlier fourth coinage coins they were annulets (some coins of the pre-treaty period also
have saltire stops).
Richard II (1377-99)
The coins of Richard II are little different from those of Edward III except with minor details
in the portrait, lettering styles and the change of name on the obverse legend. There are
several marks on some of Richards coins for example on York coins there is usually a cross
or lis on the kings breast and on the locally produced dies of York two pellets by the
shoulders The diagrams below show some examples of Richard II coins
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Richard II local dies York mint, pellets by shoulders and cross on breast
Further reading
Potter, W.J.W. 1960 The silver coinage of Edward III from 1351: part 1 pre-treaty period
The Numismatic Chronicle. Vol 20, pp 137-181
Potter, W.J.W. 1962 The silver coinage of Edward III from 1351: part II the treaty period
(1361-69) Part III the post-treaty period (1369-77) The Numismatic Chronicle. Seventh
series. Vol 2, pp 203-224
Purvey, F. 1962 The pence, half pence and farthings of Richard II, of the mints of London,
York and Durham BNJ 31, pp 88-108
Henry IV penny of the light coinage York mint, annulet on kings breast
Henry V (1413-22)
The coins of Henry V can be divided into several types based on the style of lettering, bust
and marks by the crown for examples classes B and G have no marks (class B groats have a
mullet somewhere on the kings breast). The marks by the crown include:
Class A: usually a pellet and annulet by crown
Class C: mullet and a broken annulet by crown
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28
Leaf-trefoil issue: leafs and trefoils in the legends and leaf on kings breast
Trefoil issue: trefoil either side of neck and in the legend, leaf on breast
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Unmarked issue: no marks on the obverse extra pellets on the rev. Only groats and
halfgroats were produced for this issue
Lis-pellet issue: lis on neck and pellets by crown, only groats of this type were produced.
This issue was produced alongside the cross-pellet issue
Henry VI was briefly restored to the throne in 1470 only to be deposed again in 1471. The
coinage of this period is known as the restoration coinage, many of the coins have the kings
name as HENRICV and the letter R which looks like a B
Further reading
Potter, W. J. W. 1958 The silver coinages of Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V British
Numismatic Journal 29, pp 332-352
Potter, W. J. W. 1960 The silver coinages of Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V British
Numismatic Journal 30, pp 124-150
Whitton, C. A. 1938 The heavy coinage of Henry VI parts 1 and 2 British Numismatic Journal
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The long cross coinage 1461-85 Edward IV, V and Richard III
The coinage of Edward IV can be divided into three main types, the first type is the heavy
coinage dating until the re-coinage in 1464/5 the second type is the light coinage of the first
reign, dating from 1464/5 to 1470 and the third type is the coinage of Edwards second
reign, dating from 1471-83. There are far too many varieties of Edward IV coins to mention
here but a brief description of the things to look out for will be listed below:
Marks by bust: these take the form of quatrefoils, annulets, trefoils, saltires and sometimes
nothing
Marks by bust (pence of the York mint): these take the form of quatrefoils, trefoils, a letter
G and key, a letter G and rose, a letter E and rose, a letter B and key, a letter T and key and
sometimes nothing
Marks by bust (pence of the Durham mint): these take the form of quatrefoils, trefoils, lis,
letters B and D, quatrefoil and letter B, letter D and quatrefoil. In the second reign the marks
are a letter B and trefoil, lis, letter V to the right of the bust, letters D and V and sometimes
nothing
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Edward V (1483)
The coinage of Edward V is very similar to Edward IV and are extremely rare due to the short
time Edward was on the throne
Richard III (1483-85)
The coinage of Richard III can be identified by the initial mark, which is a sun and rose (three
varieties), a boars head (two varieties) and a lis (Durham only), some groats also have a
pellet below the bust. Some of the York pence have a letter T and a key by the bust and the
Durham pence have a letter D in the centre of the reverse and a letter S on the breast
Richard III penny of the Durham mint, letter S on breast and D in centre of rev
Richard III penny of the York mint, letter T and key by bust
Further reading
Blunt, C. E and Whitton, C.A. 1945 The coinage of Edward IV and Henry VI restored British
Numismatic Journal 25, 3 parts
Mayhew, N. 1974 The monetary background to the Yorkist re-coinage of 1464-71 British
Numismatic Journal 44, pp 62-73
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Open crown
33
Henry VII groat with the new profile facing bust and new reverse design, the legend now
incorporates the kings regal number
Henry VII groat showing the old reverse design with the bust with a double arched crown
with the outer arched jewelled
34
The coins of the second coinage have the portrait of Henry VIII
The third coinage will be included in a later guide as this forms the start of the postmedieval coinage.
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An easy to use guide for Scottish and Irish coins is: Coins of Scotland, Ireland and the
islands 2003 published by Spink
The first Scottish coinage was initiated in c.1136 during the reign of David I after he took
Carlisle and Cumberland on the death of Henry I of England. Carlisle already had an
established mint and control of the nearby Alston silver mines gave David the opportunity to
strike the first Scottish coins.
The Scottish coins generally followed the same reverse design as the English coinage, for
example when there was a change in reverse design in England then a year or so later the
Scots would follow suit.
William The lion phase A short cross and stars penny minted by Walter of Perth
36
The design of the Scottish coinage changed again following Henry IIIs re-coinage in 1247, in
1250 Alexander III replaced the short cross and stars coinage with a voided long cross with
mullets in each quarter, this was Alexanders first coinage and it lasted until c.1280
Alexander III type III first coinage penny minted by Walter of Dun (Dumbarton?)
The one of the most common Scottish coins found is pennies from Alexander IIIs second
coinage (REX SCOTORVM). This design follows the design on Edward I coins after 1279 and is
the standard Scottish design for the rest of the medieval period. Unlike the English issues
the mint signature is not present on the reverse; instead the mint is attributed to the
number of points on the mullets. The mint signature is present on the Scottish groats, which
follow the same basic design as the English groats except with the bust holding a sceptre.
John and some Edward IV types) for example the Henry III coins have the voided long cross
and coins of Edward I onwards have the solid long cross.
Further reading
Dykes, D.W. 1963 The Irish coinage of Henry III British Numismatic Journal 32
Stewart, I.H. 1967 The Scottish coinage 2nd edition with supplement. Spink
Symonds, H. 1921 The Irish coinage of Edward IV Numismatic Chronicle
38
Bibliography
Blackburn, M. 1991 Coinage and Currency under Henry I; A review Anglo-Norman studies
13, pp 49-81.
Blackburn, M. 1994 Coinage and currency in The anarchy of King Stephens reign, ed King,
E, Oxford, pp 145-205.
Blunt, C. E and Whitton, C.A. 1945 The coinage of Edward IV and Henry VI restored British
Numismatic Journal 25, pp 4-59
Mack, R.P, 1966 Stephen and the Anarchy 1135-54 British Numismatic Journal 35, pp 145205
Mass, J. 1993 Of dies, design changes and square lettering in the opening phase of the short
cross coinage British Numismatic Journal 63 pp 21-52
Mass, J.P. 2001, The J.P. Mass Collection of English Short Cross Coins 1180-1247 SCBI 56,
Royal Academy: London
North. J. J. 1989 SCBI 39 The J.J North collection, Edwardian English silver coins 1279-1351
Oxford University Press
North, J. J. 1991 English hammered coinage Vols 1 and 2. Spink and son, London
Potter, W. J. W. 1958 The silver coinages of Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V British
Numismatic Journal 29, pp 332-352
Potter, W. J. W. 1960 The silver coinages of Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V British
Numismatic Journal 30, pp 124-150
Purvey, F. 1962 The pence, half pence and farthings of Richard II, of the mints of London,
York and Durham British Numismatic Journal 31, pp 88-108
Spink. 2009 Coins of England and the United Kingdom Spink, London
Spink. 2003 Coins of Scotland, Ireland and the islands Spink, London
Wood, 1989 The classification of class 10 in North. J. J. The J.J North collection, Edwardian
English silver coins 1279-1351. Oxford University Press, pp 42-52
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