Kings of Wessex Edward the Elder AD 899-924 Silver Penny East Anglian Portrait *Rare*

Kings of Wessex Edward the Elder AD 899-924 Silver Penny (Portrait)

East Anglia type

S1086; 20mm, 1.20g

Seldom seen, an affordable portrait coin given the edge chips. Previously cleaned and now retoned, possibly once mounted. Good silver, flat and stable.

Edward the Elder (899-924): Son of Alfred the Great, Edward spent much of his reign retaking the Danelaw from its largely Scandinavian-descended inhabitants. By the end of his tenure, most of the territory had been re-absorbed and the Danish Jarls firmly subjugated by both force and diplomacy. A great soldier, his military exploits have somewhat dominated other important aspects of his reign – such as his socio-political re-organisation of Mercia and East Anglia into new administrative shires. Only recently has Edward been studied in depth, overshadowed to a degree by both his famous father and contemporary ally in the English fightback – Lady Æthelflæd of Mercia. His coinage is highly varied, including both portrait and non-portrait types as well as very rare ‘pictorial’ issues