William the Conqueror Silver Penny 1066-1087AD Sword type London

William the Conqueror Silver Penny 1066-1087AD Sword type London

19mm, 1.23g

A most pleasing portrait of William, former Duke of Normandy. Attractive old collection tone with all detail clear.

Provenance – ex P Finn FPL 6/104 (1996)

William I of Normandy (The Conqueror) was cousin to Edward the Confessor. He successfully claimed the English throne following the famous Battle of Hastings in 1066, initiating the Norman period in Britain. William continued the network of Anglo-Saxon mints with nearly seventy towns with moneyers operational, and undertook frequent revision of the coinage by changing types; by the twelfth century minting became much more centralised.