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Auction: 14005 - Ancient, British and Foreign Coins and Commemorative Medals
Lot: 516

Wessex, Ecgberht (802-839), Penny, 1.10g, West Saxon mint, ?Winchester, Wihtnoth, Saxon monogram within inner pelleted circle, +ecgberht rex, rev. +vvihtnoÐ moe-, cross pattée within pelleted inner circle (Naismith W12; N.589; S.1041), crimping, as found, minor edge loss, , fine, a very rare type and only the third known for this moneyer and the best preserved

provenance
Found near Salisbury, Wilts, 2014
Recorded with the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, EMC 2014.0067

This moneyer was unproven when Naismith published his corpus of coins in his book 'The coinage of Southern England 796-865' in 2011. He noted seven moneyers for this type and considered the possibility of an eighth suggested by a fragmentary coin sold in the SNC in 1919. This was noted in the SNC as reading +vviht...Ð moe and Naismith, whilst considering possible names in a footnote, listed this without attribution to a specified moneyer. The name of this moneyer was subsequently confirmed as Wihtnoth with the discovery of a coin with a clear and complete legend reading +vvihtnoð moe in 2012 (EMC 2012.0169, found near Warminster, Wilts, now Fitzwilliam Museum). This appeared to indicate that the 1919 fragmentary coin was also most likely of this moneyer.

The newly found example offered here, is better preserved than the other two and further confirms the existence of a West Saxon moneyer, Wihtnoth. It is struck from different dies to the 2012 recorded coin.


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Sold for
£1,400