Obverse:
Bust of King Coenwulf facing right, with a
diadem in his hair, finely drawn with four
horizontal lines on the shoulders, the drapery
devolved from a Roman prototype, dividing
obverse legend. Text around, starting at 12
o’clock +COENVVLF REX M (‘Coenwulf
King of the Mercian’s).
Reverse:
Rosette developed from a cross over a cross
moline, no inner circles, initial cross of
four wedges with centre pellet. Text around
+DE VICO LVNDONIAE (‘From the wic of
London’).
History:
This highly significant coin, the first new
Anglo-Saxon gold penny to come to light for
one hundred years, is a remarkable addition
to the very select group of seven gold coins
(the others now in museum collections).
This Coenwulf Gold Penny is:
• Unique as the only gold coin in the
name of Coenwulf of Mercia (796-821).
• Unique as the only purpose made
Anglo-Saxon gold penny of clearly regal design.
• Unique as the only gold coin with a London
mint signature to be struck between the gold
shillings of c. AD 630 and Henry III's gold
penny of 20 pence of 1257.
• Unique as the only English coin of any type
to refer to the important extra-mural commercial
settlement of Lundenwic.
