Kings of Mercia Offa 757-796AD Silver Penny

Kings of Mercia Offa 757-796AD Silver Penny Light coinage Small flan, moneyer AETHELWEALD

S904, 17mm, 1.09g.

Good metal, central and pleasing, often coins of this period have rough surfaces due to poor metal, this example does not.

Offa (757-796): The first King of Mercia to strike coins, Offa is perhaps one of the most famous Anglo-Saxon kings – and certainly the longest-ruling (c. 39 years). Although he probably was not the original builder of ‘Offa’s Dyke’ and his attempts to ingratiate himself with the Frankish King Charlemagne ultimately failed – by the time of his death he had built Mercia into Anglo-Saxon England’s powerhouse kingdom. J J North’s ‘English Hammered Coinage vol. I’ encompasses Offa’s coinage within c. 80 different types, which perhaps illustrates best the complexity of his various issues struck during his reign.