Description
Aethelred II Saxon Silver Penny.
Aethelred II 978 – 1016 AD
Aethelred II is famously called the unready, which comes from the Anglo Saxon ‘unrede’ meaning without counsel.
This version is also known as the ‘Lydford Penny’. It is a replica of the pennies that were made in Lydford at the time of the Great Viking Raid of 997AD. It is a small solid silver coin approximately 21mm in diameter, struck at Bigbury Mint Ltd in Devon.
Obverse – Portrait of Aethelred and wording ‘EDELRED REX ANGLO’
Reverse – The first long cross type, with the moneyer’s name. The long cross was often used for splitting the coin into half or quarters to be used as small change.