Kings of Wessex Edward The Elder Silver Penny 899-924AD

Kings of Wessex – Edward The Elder Silver Penny 899-924AD. Portrait type, extremely rare.

Crude portrait & blundered legends means this coin may have been struck by a Viking moneyer under Saxon control. Good metal, no cracks, well toned. Coin appears better in hand.

23mm, 1.30g, S1086

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.