Aethelstan AD 924-939 Silver Penny North Eastern Variant Helmeted Portrait type RARE

Aethelstan AD 924-939 Silver Penny North Eastern Variant Helmeted Portrait type, RARE

Helmeted bust facing right, +ÆDELSTAN REX around/ Cross crosslet, BALDRIC MONT around (moneyer).

S1104, 22mm, 1.33g A bold strike on a large flan of good silver, little wear and pleasing, light tone, a excellent example of portraiture from this period, seldom are coins like this encountered.

Æthelstan (924-937): Regarded by some as the very best of all the English Kings (even better than Alfred), Æthelstan’s achievements draw on aspects of both his father and grandfather’s rule. In addition to being a capable military commander and well-able to defend the realm, he was also a statesman of note. Securing his borders with Wales via clever diplomacy and making supreme efforts to ensure that Scandinavian-aligned Northumbria would not break away from England, he was also deeply concerned with undertaking sweeping legal reforms. A shrewd man in matters fiscal, he promoted regional trade centres, re-organised aspects of the minting process and struck coins bearing his name that declared him ‘King of All Britain’ – a proud but perhaps not totally inaccurate boast. In 937, he achieved a stunning victory when he defeated a joint invasion force of Dublin Norse and Scottish at the Battle of Brunanburgh – though he died only a few years later.