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ID: |
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81001388 |
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[UNVERIFIED]
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| Type: |
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Western Europe |
| Region: |
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England |
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City:
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Early Anglo-Saxon Period |
| Issuer: |
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Sceats |
| Date Ruled: |
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ANGLO-SAXON, Secondary Sceattas
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| Metal: |
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Silver |
| Denomination: |
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Sceat |
| Date Struck: |
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AD Secondary Sceattas. Circa 710-725 |
| Weight: |
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0.90 g |
| Obverse Description: |
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Two diademed heads confronted; between, long cross with trident end; double border |
| Reverse Description: |
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Cross, at each end a bird right; double border |
| Primary Reference: |
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Abramson J400 |
| Reference2: |
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Metcalf 296-9 |
| Reference3: |
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North 135 |
| Reference4: |
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SCBC 792 |
| Photograph Credit: |
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Classical Numismatic Group |
| Source: |
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http://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=140934 |
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Grade:
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Good VF, toned. |
| Notes: |
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Sale: CNG 81, Lot: 1388
Series J, type 37
The iconography of confronted heads to either side of a cross has a debatable origin. Prototypes can be seen in certain Merovingian issues, ultimately deriving from Byzantine types for joint rulers, but non-numismatic possibilities point to other meanings. Most notably, the type may signify a relationship, either between people (e.g., marriage or alliance) or concepts (e.g., the holy and the secular) (Gannon pp. 37-39). Regarding the reverse, there are multiple varieties of types depicting birds and crosses, all reflecting Christian iconography: the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, and the cross. The diverse array of prototypes, both from numismatics and elsewhere, accounts for the many variations in their style and presentation (Gannon, pp. 107-112). |
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