Coin, Anglo-Saxon, silver, issued by Ecgberht, moneyer, Ifa, at Winchester, Hampshire, 802-839.

Silver penny of Egbert

Anglo-Saxon, AD802-839

From the middle of the 8th century an entirely new coin, the penny, supplanted the 'sceatta'. Of Frankish origin, the penny was a larger and flatter coin than the 'sceatta'. It was inscribed with the name of the king on the obverse and that of the moneyer, and later that of the place of minting, on the reverse. The coinage of Wessex - one of the seven kingdoms into which England was divided at this time - dates from the reign of Egbert. This silver penny of Egbert has an obverse inscription that reads: +AECGBEORHTREX ('King Egbert') with, on the reverse, +IFAMONATA ('Ifa moneyer)

Acquired with the assistance of the National Art Collections Fund.