William II Penny, Cross in Quatrefoil type, uncertain but maybe Bridport Mint

William II (1087-1100),silver Penny, cross in quatrefoil type (1089-92?), uncertain mint possibly Bridport, Moneyer Ælfgeat, facing crowned bust to edge of coin with sword resting on shoulder, legend commencing lower left with inner linear and outer beaded circles surrounding both sides, +PILLELM REX,rev.pellet at centre of cross pattée in quatrefoil, pellet in each inner angle, reads IELFGIET ON DRII, weight 1.37g (cf. SCBI 11B [Stockholm], 187; cf.BMC type II 83;N.852; S.1259).Near very fine for issue, parts of the reverse legends slightly blundered in the mint signature, extremely rare.

The legends translate as "William King of the English" on obverse and on the reverse "Aelfgeat of Bridport (?)."

This coin has in the past been previously sold as Aelfgaet at Bridport though this moneyer was unknown to North for Bridport in William I or II at least for his listings which are at least thirty years old. Aelfgaet is a rare moneyer name for William II and is only listed in North as a name working at Dorchester in Dorset and at Sandwich in Kent. The reading that can be seen seems to say DRII or BRII where the II is a little blundered and could equate to a C or even A or V, though Bridport is not signed usually signed as BRII. What has previously been mistaken for B could actually be a D where the loop has an unfortunate dig across it giving a smear to the loop inward making in look like the instep of a B, but it is hard to tell. The adjacent letter appears to be an R, whereas the known Aelfgaet penny in the sylloge and BMC reference of Dorchester has an O followed by an R. A DR start to the place name of course negates the question of this coin being Sandwich, but if BR could be Bridport. The last two letters are vertical I lines which merge with the inner beaded circle at bottom and at the top are smeared together by a further dig of damage. They are probably not part of a C like you would expect for a Dorchester signature so this coin remains uncertain. Whether it is Dorchester or Bridport, the two towns are are only 15 miles apart and are both rare Dorset locations.