Walking Back In Time From 1600 To Antiquity By Decades (V3.0)

Interesting coins from everyone, outside my collection area, so learning a lot.

I thought I didn't have any coins from the 900s, but this one slipped my mind.

Normandy 943-96, denier, Richard I, Rouen. Silver, 1.1 g, 21 mm. Duplessy 16.



Obverse: Cross with four pellets. Inscription: RICARDVSI (Richard).
Reverse: Temple with St Andrew's cross in front, four pellets. Inscription: ROTOMAGVS (Rouen).

Richard "The Fearless" was Duke of Normandy and Count of Rouen. He was the son of William Longsword and grandson of Rollo, the Viking who captured Normandy from the Franks. William Longsword died in 942 when Richard was about 10 years old. King Louis IV of France took advantage of this and reclaimed Normandy while keeping Richard at his court. He was freed by his family's allies at the age of 14 and then spent a couple of decades on the one hand fighting Louis and French feudal lords, on the other forming alliances with Viking leaders and other French nobles. In 965 he had secured his leadership of Normandy.

Richard's daughter Emma married King Aethelred "The Unready" of England, thus becoming Queen of England. That gave Richard's great grandson William "The Conqueror" claim to the English throne when he invaded England in 1066.

Here is my last coin for this decade: a Byzantine Follis from 945 AD. I have attributed it as Sear #1761.

Nice coin in any event (and the Richard I one too).

Ok last call on the 940s. Starting tomorrow morning let's drop back to the decade of the 930s!

I haven't had anything to post for nearly 2 months and now two come along at once. It'll be almost as long again after that, as these are my only coins from the 900s.

Æthelstan became the first king to rule the whole of England when he conquered Northumbria in 927.

Æthelstan Cut Halfpenny, 933-938

London. Silver, 20mm, 0.67g. Crowned bust right; + (ÆDELSTAN) REX; AE ligatured; cross-bar on back of D. + LIOFHE(LM MO LOND) CI, small cross (S 1095).

From the Duchy of Lotharingia?

This period is when England was just being formed.

Eadmund Small Cross Horizontal-Pellet 1 Penny, 939-946

Southern mint. Silver, 20mm, 1.21g. Small cross pattee; +EΛDMV#1048;D REX (moneyer Eadred) in two lines broken by row of three crosses pattee; pellet above and below (S 1105). PCGS AU-50.

Great contributions folks!

I've got one last one to add to this decade. This Dirham was minted at al-Shash (modern day Tashkent, Uzbekistan) and is dated as AH 318 (931 AD). It was issued by Nasr II ben Ahmad and I have attributed it as Album A1451.