Henry I round Halfpenny, Winchester, Ailwine

Henry I (1100-35), silver Round Halfpenny, Winchester Mint, moneyer Ailwine, facing uncrowned head, hair made up of seven fleur like ringlets, inner and outer beaded circles and legend surrounding, initial mark cross with orbed base, HENRIC REX, rev. inverted die axis cross potent with groups of pellets in each angle, AILPINE ON PI, weight 0.47g (Spencer, The Searcher, March 2002, pp.41-3, this coin; N 872; S 1277). Dark uneven tone with light porosity, fine and clear with distinctive style of head and fully readable, extremely rare denomination and the only example known of this moneyer.

Provenance:
Found near Marlborough, Wiltshire, October 2001.

Ex Dix Noonan and Webb, 19^th June 2002, lot 135.

Ex Spink Coin Auction 183, 26^th September 2006, lot 19.

Ex Spink Coin Auction, 26^th September 2018, lot 370.

The round Halfpenny denomination of King Henry I first came to light 71 years ago, when respected professional numismatist Peter Seaby exhibited a coin of Winchester by the moneyer Godwine A at the British Numismatic Society on 1 March 1950 (North pl.16, 36 and SpinkStandard Catalogue,p.135, coin now in the Fitzwilliam Museum). It took until 1989 for four more halfpence to emerge: Sandwich, Æthelbold,rev. struck from a type IX Penny die (now in Fitzwilliam Museum), and Hereford, moneyer Ailred (now in British Museum) both found together in spoil from Thames Exchange; Norwich(?), moneyer Thot, found in Norfolk (now in Fitzwilliam Museum); and York, moneyer Othbeorn, found near Newbury.

Other mints and moneyers discovered since include examples of Oxford, moneyer Ægelnoth; Wallingford, moneyer Osulf; and Wilton, moneyer Ailward (all in Fitzwilliam Museum); another Sandwich, moneyer Æthelbold, of regular type, found at Little Mongeham, Kent, September 1992; Winchester, moneyer Wimund, ex Baldwin Auction 7, 2^nd May 1996, lot 517 and now also in the Fitzwilliam Museum; Lincoln, moneyer uncertain as only half a coin, found Newark 2004; Norwich, moneyer Thorstein, found Sutton Bridge 2009; York, moneyer Forni, found north east Lincolnshire 2009; London, moneyer ---DRED, a fragmentary coin found Kent 2013; London, moneyer Thorreaed, found Tilbury 2014; Canterbury, moneyer Winedaeg, found Wherwell - pierced in three places; as well as three uncertain pieces.

To summarise there are twenty examples recorded of which many are either in museums or fragmentary.