Description
Æthelred II ‘the Unready’ of the House of Wessex, Anglo-Saxon King of the English 978-1013/1014-1016 AD, Silver Penny (1.42g, 20mm), last small cross pattée type, Lincoln mint 1009-1016 AD, Moneyer Godwine. Obverse: Diademed and draped bust of King Æthelred II facing to the left, inner lined border and legend which begins with initial mark cross pattée surrounds, “ÆÐELRÆD REX ΛNGL”. Reverse: Small cross pattée central, single bead to lower right field, inner lined border and legend which begins with initial mark cross pattée surrounds, “GODPINE MO LINCO˙”. Spink-1155; North-777. A very imposing and striking piece of Æthelred II, sharply struck on a broad flan and with pleasing amber toning throughout, few peck marks to reverse field, a most collectible example and nearly as struck, Extremely Fine.
The Obverse legend reads “Æðelræd, Rex Anglōrum”, with an English translation of “Æthelred, King of the Englishmen” – Æthelred II is named in the Old English, with his titulature in Latin. The Reverse Latin legend reads “Godwine, monēta Lincolle”, with an English translation of “Godwine, mint of Lincoln” – the legend begins with the moneyers name, the word ‘mint’ in Latin, and the mintname ‘Lindcoln’, written as a synonymous term ‘Lincolle’, in Old English, derived from the Latin words ‘Lindum Colonia’.