Eadmund, Penny, portrait type, Norwich Mint, moneyer Manen

Eadmund (939-946), silver Penny, portrait type, East Anglian style, Norwich Mint, Moneyer Manen, crowned and draped bust right extending to bottom of coin, legend with linear inner circle surrounding, toothed border around rim, legend commences at left, +EADMVND REX, rev. small cross pattée, legend with linear inner circle surrounding, +MANEN MO NORDE, the Ms and NS quite H like, weight 1.45g (cf.BMC VI, 4; CTCE 255; SCBI 26:1117 East Anglia; N.698; S.1107). Toned with an attractive portrait, outer rim just a little chipped, good very fine and very rare with this moneyer and Mint reading.

Though there are many moneyers operating in the reign of Eadmund across a number of different coinages in this seven year reign, according to North there is only one proven mint in operation at Norwich for the portrait coinage. Manen was one of six moneyers at this East Anglian town for these portrait coins. The only other suggested mint named pieces with a portrait are from three different moneyers whose Pennies give a B mint signature, which might be Bedford. There are some non-portrait coins issued with Chester, Wallingford and perhaps Derby mint signatures.

The obverse Latin legend translates as "Eadmund King" and the reverse as "Manen Moneyer of Norwich."

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.

Norwich is situated 100 miles north north east of London in East Anglia on the River Tud near the junction with the River Yare. In 1004 it was sacked and burnt by the Danish Swein, but resisted a much later attack in 1069. The Norman knight Roger Bigod Earl of East Anglia siezed the castle in 1087 and later in 1136 during the anarchy the castle was again seized by his descendent Hugh Bigod. The holy See of the Bishop of East Anglia was transferred there from Thetford in 1094/5 he having minting rights with one moneyer at Norwich.

The legends translate on obverse as "Eadmund King" and reverse "Manen Moneyer of Norwich"

Provenance:

Ex Sotheby, 8^th October 2001, lot 949.

Ex Davissons, Cold Spring Minnesota, List 86, November 2001 item 11.

Ex The Lucien M. La Riviere Collection of Saxon Coins, Spink Coin Auction 160, 10^th October 2002, lot 1002.

Ex Neil Smith Collection of British Silver Coins, New York Sale XLIX, 15^th January 2020, lot 1221.

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

The La Riviere catalogue states that the only other coin of this type recorded of Manen at Norwich is that in the Norwich Castle Museum Collection, as listed in Tenth Century Coinage of England by Blunt Stewart and Lyon, page 197, number 255, only location known, SCBI East Anglia 1117, but struck from different dies to this piece offered herewith.