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Auction: 26005 - British and World Coins and Medals: The Martin J Waldron Collection of English Coins
Lot: 433

Mercia, Offa (757-796), Light Coinage, Penny, East Anglia, Wihtræd, + OFFA REX +, lozenge shaped O, cross pommée within beaded inner circle, on mound consisting of two concentric semicircles, rev. + w | ih | tre | d, in Runic script, lozenge cross crosslet containing cross of petals over saltire of petals, pellet in centre, 0.994g [15.34grns], 12h (EMC 2010.0171 this coin; Naismith and Naylor, BNJ Vol. 82 (2012), pp. 210-14, no. 18, this coin; BNJ Coin Register 2011, no. 90 this coin; Chick -; North 331.5; S.907), bent and with a light field tone, strictly very fine, yet a discovery coin for this moneyer, presumed UNIQUE

Provenance

~ Found near Sturry, Kent, 2010 ~
~ Recorded with the Fitzwilliam Museum (ref. EMC 2010.0171) ~


"Pennies of Offa’s reign bearing an obverse design of a standing cross flanked by two smaller crosses – an allusion to the crosses of Christ and the two thieves at the crucifixion – had been known only for the moneyer Oethelred prior to the discovery of this penny. Stylistically it shows links to both the obverse and reverse designs of Oethelred’s types (Chick 174–7), not least in the form of reverse cross and in the pelleted terminals of letters and other devices (which were characteristic of at least one East Anglian die-cutter under Offa). Minor differences in obverse design between Wihtred and Oethelred – use of a cross pommée rather than cross potent, and of a mound rather than steps – may indicate an effort to differentiate dies intended for different moneyers, or slightly earlier or later production. Either way, this penny strongly suggests that Wihtred drew on the services of the same die-cutter at Oethelred, albeit temporarily: there are no other close comparisons within the work of Wihtred, although his name is also given in runic script on Chick 181." (Naismith and Naylor, BNJ Vol. 82 (2012), pp. 210-14)

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Estimate
£600 to £800

Starting price
£500