Aethelred II, Penny, CRVX type, Worcester Mint, moneyer Sigewine

Aethelred II (978-1016), silver Penny, CRVX type (c.991-997), Worcester Mint, Moneyer Sigewine, draped bust left with sceptre, linear circle and legend surrounding, +ÆÐELRED REX ANGLORX, ORX ligatured, rev. voided cross within linear circle, CRVX letters in consecutive angles, +SIGEPINE M-O PIHRA, weight 1.79g (BMC III, p.201; BEH 2050; SCBI 20:900 Mack; N.770; S.1148). Attractively toned, good very fine.

North lists 73 named mints in operation during the reign of Aethelred II with a further 14 unallocated. According to North Worcester operates with 12 moneyers across all types except second hand.

Though Aethelred enjoyed such a long reign he was known as "The Unready" literally meaning ill-counselled from a history of bad advice and decision making. Born circa 967 Aethelred was supported by his mother and partisans that were led by Earl Aelfhere of Mercia; ascending the throne at no more than 12 years of age after the murder of his Half-Brother Edward at Corfe. The influential Aelfhere having died in 983 meant Aethelred became more vulnerable, and the Vikings began to start their raids once again. Aethelred chose to pay off the raiders rather than resist, becoming known for giving such ransoms payments willingly. This meant many hundreds of thousands of coins ended up being taken to Scandanavia where they were hoarded and why much of the coinage that survives today often exhibits "peck marks" where the Viking bankers have inserted a knife point to make sure the metal quality was good. The harrying continued until Swein Forkebeard held a great swathe of England by 1013, and Aethelred was under threat in London retreating to the Isle of Wight. England submitted to Swein but he died suddenly on the 2^nd February 1014 at Gainsborough giving Aethelred the advantage and driving the Vikings out. Canute the second son of Swein, returned to attack in 1015 and by early 1016 was marching on Mercia, Aethelred however passed away on 23^rd April 1016 in London at around the age of 52 just as his second son Edmund was moving south to link up with the army. Edmund was elected King, but the army was his priority, and after winning a few battles suffered a defeat at Ashingdon on 18^th October 1016. He retreated possibly wounded to West Mercia and negotiated a treaty giving him rule of Wessex. However, Edmund died in Oxford on the 30^th November 1016 giving control to Canute.

Worcester on the left bank of the River Severn is 22 miles from Hereford and was fortified in the reign of Alfred against the Danes on request of the bishop. Eadgar gave the bishopric in 959 to Dunstan and was later held jointly with the See of York by St Oswald (972-1016) as well as others. The town was burnt in 1041 on the order of Harthacanute as two Danegeld collectors had been killed there. The town endured an earthquake in 1049 and was later destroyed by fire in 1113 and again in 1133. The town was burnt and plundered in 1139 and again in 1150.

The legends translate as "Aethelred King of the English" on obverse and "Sigewine of Worcester" on the reverse, the letters around the central cross mean "cross."

Provenance:

Ex Classical Numismatic Group, Electronic Auction 425, 25^th July 2018, lot 780.

Ex Collection of an English Doctor, part one, Sovereign Rarities, London, March 2022.