HistoricCoinage

The halfgroat pellets, though?

Right before my eyes!!

I also note that the obverse legend doesn't line up. The E and L at the start of Elizabeth. Something I've seen fairly often.

Is there the red wax often associated with impressions on this example, or is the single red patch on each side associated with an old repair?

A very warm welcome to you, Geoff! We look forward to seeing some of your coins.

Indeed. Very large projects would have been paid for by weights of silver, often in coin. Other transactions, like the sale of farms, are noted down as having been paid in commodities: "On 4 January 1346, in Våle, Vestfold, four witnesses testified that Kolbein Simonsson had sold Torleiv Eiriksson a share in the farm Olumstad worth 32 kyrlag. The following payment was made (the document’s value assessments in brackets): 1 red horse (4 kyrlag), 2 bulls (5 kyrlag), 7 cows, 1 bullock (1 kyrlag), various types of cloth (9 kfrlag), 8 laupa butter (4 kfrlag), 2 pounds grain and 2 laupa butter (2 kyrlag)". Gift giving and commodity trading still made up a large part of transactions, at least in the late Viking Age. Money often acts as a unit of account or storage.

Very much so. It probably also explains why the halfpenny issues of the Late Saxon and Norman periods never really took off, whereas the 13th and 14th centuries represents a much more politically-organised and complex society & economy. With regard to barter, yes. The later medieval period would still very much have relied upon barter and exchange for day-to-day workings.

Potentially, but also for more official uses. If one looks at the extreme rise of money in the late 10th and 11th centuries it can be attributed to the Danegeld payments, much of which was in coin. I would also imagine that the coins represented a way of storing wealth. Probably longer-lasting than a chicken and easier to maintain, provided you safely stashed it.

Don't forget that the economy was not purely coinage-based, though. The hacksilver and associated ingots formed a large part of the silver economy but there were also other things traded by the Scandinavians, from furs to butter. Commodities formed a major portion of any large purchase during the Viking period and much of the subsequent centuries.

Especially recently, Peter.

Very interesting proposition.

I notice that your question also relates to other Anglo-Saxon coinage, too. I suppose the size would be limited by the weight standard adopted by the Kings. There's probably only so large you could get a 1.6g bit of silver with the technology provided.

It is to do with the weight standard. Alfred the Great had set the weight standard for pennies at 1.6g with many continental deniers being heavier at about 1.75g but the Viking coinage of York (at least the Regal/Royal coinage) was about 1.3g with the earlier Danelaw issues being about 1.35g. These low weights, which probably correspond to their lesser diameter, are completely in line with the East Anglian and Northumbrian issues prior to the Viking invasion. My take is that the weight, and therefore size to some degree, is noticeably different in order to separate the Viking coinage as independent from the other 'English' issues. These issues were also different in terms of value and design, showing that there were different priorities and levels of organisation between the Scandinavian settlers and the so called Saxons.

It says the video's been removed by the user, Dave. But I thought I'd post this:

Good to see I'm not going to be the only one chatting to myself. Family are milling about but I suspect they're still half asleep. Seems like some can handle the Christmas Eve alcohol better than others... Have a good day, chaps!

Not a shame that eBay listened, though. Listing is gone.

That is depressing. As a note to others it's a fake Edward I groat.

Plenty of us members on here will purchase whole collections or sell on commission. Good photographs and a detailed list or a visit are helpful.

I understand your scepticism, Paulus! But yes, this is definitely the real deal.

Looks like quite a bit of gold there!

Thanks, Stuart. It looks better on paper in Spink. Photoshop. And yes, indeed it did, thank you very much! Enjoy the scrumpy and Talisker, good sir.

Festive wishes to one and all!

Rob isn't offended, merely commenting on the chances of it being a gold one. There are many different senses of humour on this forum.

Whichever way you look at it, a nice coin but a dear price.

Not so much a laugh but I saw this earlier and laughed at the comparison to the gold Coenwulf...