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- Title
How Large was the Anglo-Saxon Currency?
- Authors
Metcalf, D. M.
- Abstract
The article presents information about the currency used by the Anglo-Saxons. Anglo-Saxon coins were, like any others, produced by placing a blank disc of silver between two steel dies (on which the designs were engraved in reverse) and striking the upper die with a hammer. A large number of coins was produced from any particular pair of dies before they wore out, with the result that the currency contained coins which were die-duplicates, in the sense that they had been struck between the same pair of dies. A random sample drawn from the currency will, if it is large enough, include some of these duplicates; and the fewer the dies that had originally been used to manufacture an entire currency, the more die-duplicates are there likely to be in the sample. A corpus is available, fortunately, for the debased gold tremisses of the late seventh century with the runic inscription Pada (an east Kentish currency, the association of which with king Peada or Penda of Mercia is open to question), and also for the earliest English silver pennies, the so-called sceattas, of King Wihtred of Kent.
- Subjects
ANGLO-Saxons; COINS; SILVER coins; COIN dies; MONEY; SAXONS
- Publication
Economic History Review, 1965, Vol 18, Issue 3, p475
- ISSN
0013-0117
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2307/2592560