Kings of Mercia Offa Silver Penny Heavy Coinage 757-796AD Ethelnoth, London

Kings of Mercia Offa Silver Penny Heavy Coinage 757-796AD Ethelnoth, London

18x19mm, 1.23g

A good example of the heavy coinage of king Offa, these are mostly struck in poor quality silver and thus are found with much pitting, not the case with this attractive example.

Provenance – ex A Wayne collection, ex Baldwins (July 1999) with old auction house ticket.

Offa was the son of Thingfrith and related to earlier Mercian rulers.
He became king of Mercia following a period of civil war after the assassination of Aethelbald, subsequently consolidating control of other territories; this apparent unification of England is interpreted by some as a quest for power. His coinage is artistically accomplished, as shown by this eaxample, and his wife Cynethryth is the only Saxon queen to be depicted on a coin.