Viking Kingdom Anlaf Sihtricsson 941-944AD Silver Penny

Viking Kingdom Anlaf Sihtricsson 941-944AD Silver Penny

S1022, 20mm, 1.04g.

An extremely rare coin, seldom available to commerce.

This coin comes with a hand written ticket.

Anlaf Sihtricsson (c. 941-944 and 949-952) – the cousin of Anlaf Guthfrithsson, Sihtricsson has a somewhat complicated (and long!) story. Living from c. 927-980, he was king of both Northumbria and Dublin twice – though in the former case he apparently shared power with a co-ruler, Regnald. During his rule, Northumbria seems to have returned wholesale to Scandinavian allegiance – though the region would be reconquered in c. 942 by King Eadmund. Despite a politicised baptism and adoption as Eadmund’s godson, Sihtricsson would be removed from the kingship of Northumbria in 944 and leave for Ireland. Though he would return to rule York again in 949, he would be deposed a second time and this time leave England for good, instead choosing to administer Dublin for a lengthy period and engage in conflict with a number of the Gaelic kings. Deposed in 980, he would live out his days at the monastery of Iona in forced retirement – dying shortly afterwards. His coins are some of the most iconic in the Anglo-Viking series, one particularly striking issue depicting a raven in flight.