Kings of Wessex Alfred The Great Silver Penny 871-899AD Bosa

Kings of Wessex Alfred The Great Silver Penny 871-899AD Bosa

19mm, 1.43g

An extraordinary example of the first portrait type of Alfred, normally struck in base silver but this is good quality metal and one of the best examples we’ve seen.

This coin comes with several old collectors tickets and was originally sold by Spink in December 1967.

Alfred was the youngest son of Aethelwulf and succeeded his brother Aethelred I as king of the southern Saxon kingdom of Wessex in 871AD. He is the only English born monarch to be known as ‘the great’, his achievements covering social and educational reforms as well as military successes.

Following a series of battles, culminating in that at Edington in 878AD, where Alfred defeated the Danes, a treaty was negotiated. England was then divided, between the north and east (between the River Thames and Tees) the north was declared to be Danish territory – later known as the ‘Danelaw’ and Alfred subsequently gained control of areas of West Mercia and Kent which had previously been beyond the boundaries of Wessex.