England / Exeter Penny ND Aethelred II Last Small Cross, Exeter VF/XF-

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England, Exeter. AR Penny, ND (undated, c. 1009–1016), Aethelred II (978–1016). Last Small Cross type. Moneyer Saewine. 1.29 g. VF/XF-. Silver. Catalog: Spink 1154; North 777.

Numismatic Insight: Aethelred II’s Exeter Last Small Cross Penny (Spink 1154 / North 777)

Overview: A silver penny of Aethelred II (Old English Æþelræd; often Æthelred the Unready), King of England 978–1016, of the Last Small Cross type, struck at Exeter by the moneyer Saewine. Undated (ND); the type is generally placed c. 1009–1016, in the closing years of the reign. Weight 1.29 g; grade VF/XF- (Very Fine / Extremely Fine minus). Catalogued Spink 1154 and North 777 — the standard references for this late Aethelred type. A few peck-marks are present.

Design: Obverse — diademed and draped bust left within an inner circle; legend +ÆDELRÆD REX ΛNG• (“Aethelred Rex Ang[lorum]”, Aethelred King of the English). Reverse — short cross pattée (the Last Small Cross) within an inner circle; legend +SÆPINE ON EΛXCESTR (“Saewine on Exeter”). The mint signature EΛXCESTR is the Exeter (Exanceaster) form of the place-name. Surfaces show clear medieval detail consistent with VF/XF-; peck-marks (test marks typical of Scandinavian and northern Baltic silver circulation) are noted on the piece.

Historical context: Aethelred II’s long reign ended amid intensifying Viking pressure that culminated in the Danish conquest of 1013–1016. His late coinage continued the Anglo-Saxon penny system of named moneyers at regional mints. The Last Small Cross type — a simple small cross pattée on the reverse, with the royal bust on the obverse — is the final substantive type of the reign and is widely dated to about 1009–1016. Exeter was an important West Country mint; moneyer Saewine (SÆPINE on the die) names the official responsible for the silver there. Peck-marks on English pennies of this period are commonly interpreted as silver-quality tests by northern traders and are frequent on pieces that entered Baltic and Scandinavian circulation.

Numismatic details: Silver penny (AR). Weight 1.29 g. Grade VF/XF-. Undated (ND), Last Small Cross type of Aethelred II (c. 1009–1016). Catalog: Spink 1154; North 777. Mint: Exeter. Moneyer: Saewine. Legends: +ÆDELRÆD REX ΛNG• / +SÆPINE ON EΛXCESTR. A few peck-marks. A historically eloquent late Aethelred Exeter penny of the classic Last Small Cross type.

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