Eadmund, Penny, two-line type, moneyer Pitit, north eastern style I

Eadmund (939-946), silver Penny, two-line type, North-Eastern style I, large lettering, moneyer Pitit, small cross pattée, circles and legend surrounding, + EADMVND REX, rev. three crosses pattée across centre, triangle of pellets at top and bottom, moneyer name in two lines, PITIT/MONE, weight weight 1.62g (BMC I, 121; CTCE 162; SCBI 34:400 British Museum; N.688; S.1105). Toned a bold to good very fine.

The Coinage of Tenth Century England by Blunt, Stewart and Lyon gives this coin as Horizontal type I for North-Eastern moneyer Pitit as number 162.

Eadmund was the eldest son of King Edward the Elder's third marriage with Edgiva born circa 920. It seems the dynastic succession problems for the unmarried Aethelstan had left Eadmund named as heir in 939 when Eadmund was 18. At this time the Scandanavians of York, having been annexed since 927, invited the King of Dublin Olaf Gufrithsson to take over the city and invade the "Five Boroughs" from which a struggle of power ensued. It was not until 942 that Edmund recovered the boroughs, Olaf having died the year before, but his cousin Olaf Sihtricsson remained in control at York, shortly replaced by Ragnall, who reached terms with Eadmund. However, in 944 Eadmund took York back killing Ragnall, and the full Kingdom was restored as per the days of Aethelstan and he embarked on extension as far as the Solway Firth. Eadmund was known as "The Magnificent" for his display of Kingship from this time, however he was killed in a brawl on the 28^th May 946, after recognizing a known thief illegally attending a celebration in Pucklechurch near Bath. Eadmund was still under 25 years old and his two sons Eadwig and Eadgar were mere children, so his younger brother Eadred succeeded him to the throne.

The legends translate on obverse as "Eadmund King" and reverse "Pitit Moneyer".

Provenance:

Ex Dr John Tooze Collection, Dix Noonan and Webb, Auction 163, 19^th September 2019, lot 1019.

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