Coin identification help required please.

[minelabmania]

Hi Folks

I was doing some coin cataloging recently and found this little gem in the bottom of one of my crud boxes.

Ive had it for years but its always been one of those "don't knows" so was ignored.

As the pic shows it is quite small at about 12mm across.

I am fairly certain it is a coin as a face can clearly be seen on the front and it has dots around it.
Also has hair radiating off at a 45 degree angle to the left.

I cannot really make too much detail out on the reverse though, other than the ring of dots and a couple of blobby bits

Im tempted to give it a dose of electrolosis and see if it reveals its true identity but thought I'd consult the font of all knowledge first.

[Jayreef]

Well I would say Saxon sceat series E porcupine type with standard on the back

HOWEVER

it would be made of silver, so it could be a contemporary copy of the time, I think there are some on ukdfd, search term "sceat"

that's what I see anyway, then again I just got up

[Jayreef]

Then again, this looks close too

I would clean it up a bit to see more detail


http://www.ukdfd.co.uk/ukdfddata/showre ... 15&cat=all

and here is some plated copies

http://www.ukdfd.co.uk/ukdfddata/showre ... 80&cat=all

http://www.ukdfd.co.uk/ukdfddata/showre ... 44&cat=all

worth cleaning, and how did that end up in a grot box?

[minelabmania]

None of those look like it to be honest as the face seems to be portrait face on.

Its currently undergoing the electrolosis treatment and is coming up nicely.

Well, I say grot box, its not exactly my grot box but it was my "Ive lost interest" type box.

I started detecting in the 80's and had a large layoff from about 2002 to recent.

[Jayreef]

thats the problem with pictures, the person with the coin can often see more detail than the viewer of a picture

post pics when cleaned up

[minelabmania]

Here it is after about 12 minutes of electrolosis.

It needs more yet but great start dont ya think.

[Jayreef]

popping out detecting for a while

but something like this

worth a few quid that

http://www.ukdfd.co.uk/ukdfddata/showre ... 542&cat=91

http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefa ... /id/216003



will look further when i get back

[Jayreef]

yep, its definately a Series X sceat

A silver 'Wodan head' sceat of Early-Medieval (Anglo-Saxon) date (c. 710-750?). Series X, Type 31 (North 1994: 65, ref: 116

but could be a mule or variation, would like to see the reverse cleaned up also

http://www.finds.org.uk/database/images/zoom/id/238183

smashing coin that

they fetch a good price too

http://www.time-lines.co.uk/english-ser ... 974-0.html

http://www.time-lines.co.uk/series-x-an ... 558-0.html

you see on the series X links, the design changes a lot, but the basics are there

After the porcupine sceatta, the continental runic type (Series D 2c) and the woden-monster type sceattas (Series X) are the most frequent of the continental sceattas. The porcupine sceattas were probably struck the most in the area of the so-called "Mouths of the Rhine", which belongs to the area of the basin of the river Scheldt. According to current opinions, these coins do date from the period between 695 and 740 A.D. It has been argued extensively by the British Em. Professor D.M. Metcalf that most of the porcupine sceattas known as the Series E do originate from the Continent indeed without any doubt. The minting of this most successful of all sceatta coinages got well under way during the long reign of Prime-Minister Redbad (690-719 AD). Along the North Sea coasts these tiny silver coins were by far the most convenient and reliable means of payment, from Northern France to Denmark. From the distribution patterns of the finds of continental sceattas all over North Western Europe, archaeologists and historians can deduct that the size of the economy of the people of the Fresones was bigger than that of any surrounding Merovingian, Anglo-Saxon or Scandinavian kingdom

[Tomcat-uk]

Stunning find!
Congrats
TC

[Ellis456]

Great find, congratulations!.

[Dave8472]

That's a super find, electrolosis has worked well
Dave

[rustynail]

A magnificent find and certainly too good to be just tossed in your grot box. What were you thinking? I'd just love to find one. Congratulations.

[minelabmania]

OK Folks

Thanks for the comments on this one.

It has undergone somewhat of a transformation following a session on the electrolosis cleaner.

Its had about 20 minutes total + numerous scrubs with a toothbrush and ive taken it as far as I am going to take it.

Thoughts now please.

The detail which has revealed itself on the reverse of the coin is absolutely staggering.

just goes to show the depth of the concretion which had built up on the coin.

[Jayreef]

here you go

A complete silver sceat of Early-Medieval (Anglo-Saxon) date (c. AD 710 - c. AD 760). Wodan Series X, Type 30 mule, variety 1 (Abramson 2006, 35 and 73).

a mule as suggested

http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefa ... /id/216003

great cleaning job

i have the same coin on my site

www.coinlinks.co.uk and then go to sceats

[newbielynn]

Thats beautifull, well done.