Aethelred II Penny, Last small cross, Thetford Mint, Eadwine

Aethelred II (978-1016), silver Penny, last small cross type (c.1009-17), Thetford Mint, moneyer Eadwine, diademed and draped bust left within linear circle, Latin legend surrounding, +ÆÐELRED REX ANGL,rev. small cross pattée at centre, linear circle with legend surrounding, +EDPINE ON ÐEODFO, weight 1.69g (BMC I; SCBI 20, Mack (1042); N.777; S.1154). Toned, fully centred strike on good metal with legible legends and a clear portrait, reverse inscription and small cross pleasing. Bold very fine.

Aethelred II issued nine types of silver Penny throughout his long 38-year reign as there was a veritable explosion in the number of mints and activity of their moneyers. According to North there are a total of up to 73 mints operating in this reign with a further 14 enigmatic readings that are uncertain. Six of the coin types ran for six-year periods with the other three being much more short-lived. The last small cross type ran into the second decade of the first Millennium and the Thetford Mint at that time had 31 moneyers working through all types.

The obverse Latin legend translates as "Aethelred King of the English" and the reverse as "Edwine at Thetford."

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^ndFebruary 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^rdApril 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^thOctober 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^thNovember 1016 giving control to Canute.

Thetford town on the Little Ouse is 14 miles north of Bury St Edmunds and was the capital of East Anglia and was thought to be the minting place of earlier Mercian issues and independent Kings though it could have been Ipswich. The Danes wintered here in 868/9 moving on to Reading in 870. Swein burnt Thetford in 1003 and again in 1010, the town later became the See of East Anglia circa 1072 but this was transferred to Norwich 1094/5.