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CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Coins of the Vikings

CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series by Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek …..
 

ON JUNE 8, 793, A BAND of Norse raiders sacked Lindisfarne, a monastery on the Holy Island off the northeast coast of England. Historians date this as the beginning of the Viking Age. And over the next three centuries, these fierce Scandinavian warriors shaped much of European history.

Initially, the Vikings used “hacksilver” as money – broken jewelry, cut up coins and ingots traded by weight. They amassed great hoards of Islamic dirhems, European deniers and Anglo-Saxon pennies, pillaged, gained as tribute, or obtained in trade. When they began striking coins for the kingdoms they carved out with their swords, Viking designs fused their vigorous pagan art with the Christian iconography they gradually adopted. And over time, the Norse began to develop national identities as the Danes, Swedes and Norwegians we know today.

Haithabu

AR Penny. Haithabu (Hedeby) Ship, two roosters confronted Source: Moesgaard & Kastholm (2014) page 104
AR Penny. Haithabu (Hedeby) Ship, two roosters confronted. Source: Moesgaard & Kastholm (2014) page 104

…silver began to be used as payment in the four Scandinavian towns: first in the eighth century as coinage in Ribe, and from the early ninth century as coinage in Hedeby, and as cut-up bullion in Kaupang and Birka. The use of silver bullion became widespread through the 10th century… (Skyre, 1)

Denmark anonymous, approx. 870 - 900. AR Penny. Haithabu (Hedeby). Stylized, bearded Viking face in Arabesque circle. / Horse running right, looking to the left, various markings. 0.88 g. Hauberg Tf. I., cf. 6
Denmark anonymous, approx. 870 – 900. AR Penny. Haithabu (Hedeby). Stylized, bearded Viking face in Arabesque circle. / Horse running right, looking to the left, various markings. 0.88 g. Hauberg Tf. I., cf. 6. Gorny & Mosch Auction 234. 8 October 2015. Lot : 4691. Realized: 4,200 EUR approx. 4,736 USD.

Some of the earliest Viking coins are anonymous silver pennies from Hedeby (or Haithabu) a trading post in southern Denmark (Varenius, 185-193). These include the only Viking coins depicting ships–surprising, considering the importance of these graceful, superbly crafted wooden vessels in Norse culture. The ship coins are so rare that the only published examples are in museums. None have appeared in recent auctions, although a variety of replicas can be found online. A broken silver penny of Hedeby (c. 870–900), bearing an abstract face on one side and a horse on the other, went for over $4,700 USD in a 2015 German auction[1].

Bluetooth

DENMARK. Harald Blåtand (Bluetooth). Circa 958/9-986. AR Halvbrakteat (18mm, 0.29 g, 6h). Imitating class 2 deniers of Charlemagne from Dorestadt. Haithabu (Hedeby) mint. Struck circa 960s-970s. Four parallel vertical lines; double crescent above; additional pellets around / Incuse of obverse. Grierson, Coins of Medieval Europe 121; EF. Very rare
DENMARK. Harald Blåtand (Bluetooth). Circa 958/9-986. AR Halvbrakteat (18mm, 0.29 g, 6h). Imitating class 2 deniers of Charlemagne from Dorestadt. Haithabu (Hedeby) mint. Struck circa 960s-970s. Four parallel vertical lines; double crescent above; additional pellets around / Incuse of obverse. Grierson, Coins of Medieval Europe 121; EF. Very rare. Classical Numismatic Group Triton XXIII. 14 January 2020. Lot : 1051. Realized: 1,000 USD

According to legend, Harald Bluetooth (Danish Blåtand) was so fond of blueberries that they stained his teeth[2]. Actually, he had a dead tooth that appeared blue. Son of Gorm the Old, Harald ruled as king of Denmark c. 958-986, promoting the conversion of the Danes to Christianity. He also briefly ruled Norway. His coinage imitates Carolingian deniers of Dorestad, a river port in the Netherlands that dominated local trade in the eighth and ninth centuries. The coins are “half-bracteates” – very thin and lightweight (0.29 gram) bits of silver foil[3]. The design of four columns and two arches suggests a building of some kind.

Cnut and Thor’s Hammer

Anglo-Viking (Danish Northumbria). . Circa 900-905. AR Penny (21mm, 1.41 g, 8h). Class IIe/Cunneti type. York mint. C N V T R E ·:· :· arranged around inverted patriarchal cross with pellets in upper angles / + CVH :· HET :·TI :·, short cross pattée with pellets in second and third quarters. Grierson, Coins of Medieval Europe 106; L&S class IIe; SCBI 29 (Merseyside) 289 (same dies). Classical Numismatic Group Triton XXIII. 14 January 2020. Lot:1229. Realized: 650 USD.
Anglo-Viking (Danish Northumbria). . Circa 900-905. AR Penny (21mm, 1.41 g, 8h). Class IIe/Cunneti type. York mint. C N V T R E ·:· :· arranged around inverted patriarchal cross with pellets in upper angles / + CVH :· HET :·TI :·, short cross pattée with pellets in second and third quarters. Grierson, Coins of Medieval Europe 106; L&S class IIe; SCBI 29 (Merseyside) 289 (same dies). Classical Numismatic Group Triton XXIII. 14 January 2020. Lot:1229. Realized: 650 USD.

On 1 November 866, a Viking army led by Ivar the Boneless[4] captured the town of York in northern England. Vikings renamed it Jorvik, establishing a kingdom that lasted until 954, although the town changed hands repeatedly.

A king at York named Cnut, known only from his coins (c. 900-905), struck silver pennies bearing an unusual inverted patriarchal cross[5] (a cross with two cross-bars, one larger than the other). The reverse inscription, CUN •NET • TI, remains unexplained. Some 3000 of these were in the huge Cuerdale hoard, discovered in 1840 (Ghey, 89).

Anglo-Viking (Hiberno-Norse Northumbria). St. Peter coinage. Circa 921-927. AR Penny (19mm, 1.19 g, 3hh). Sword/Hammer type. York mint. Struck under Sihtric II Caech. SCIIE/TIIIIO in two lines, voided sword and cross between, trefoils above and below / + ERIVIITOI, voided hammer, pellet in head; horizontal lines flanking. Stewart & Lyon dies 26a; SCBI 4 (Copenhagen), 591 (same dies); BMC –; North 556; SCBC 1015 (this coin illustrated, 54th ed.). Very rare.
Anglo-Viking (Hiberno-Norse Northumbria). St. Peter coinage. Circa 921-927. AR Penny (19mm, 1.19 g, 3hh). Sword/Hammer type. York mint. Struck under Sihtric II Caech. SCIIE/TIIIIO in two lines, voided sword and cross between, trefoils above and below / + ERIVIITOI, voided hammer, pellet in head; horizontal lines flanking. Stewart & Lyon dies 26a; SCBI 4 (Copenhagen), 591 (same dies); BMC –; North 556; SCBC 1015 (this coin illustrated, 54th ed.). Very rare. CNG Triton XXIII. 14 January 2020. Lot : 1276. Realized: 15,000 USD.

A series of “Hiberno-Norse” rulers (Vikings who had settled in Ireland) issued some remarkable coins at York. The rare penny of Sihtric II (ruled 921- 927) bore a sword on the obverse, and an image of Mjölnir[6], hammer of the Norse god Thor, on the reverse[7]. The garbled inscription indicates that the artisans who engraved the dies were illiterate.

Ravens

Hiberno-Norse Northumbria). Anlaf Guthfrithsson. 939-941. AR Penny (20mm, 1.07 g, 12h). York mint; Athelferd, moneyer. ·: A•N•L•A•F CVNVNC :·, raven with wings displayed, head left / + ΛÐELFERD MINETR E, small cross pattée. Grierson, Coins of Medieval Europe 126; CTCE group IV, a-al; SCBI 4 (Copenhagen) 628-33 var. (stops); BMC 1092-6 var. (legend and stops); North 537; SCBC 1019 Near EF. Very rare.
Hiberno-Norse Northumbria). Anlaf Guthfrithsson. 939-941. AR Penny (20mm, 1.07 g, 12h). York mint; Athelferd, moneyer. ·: A•N•L•A•F CVNVNC :·, raven with wings displayed, head left / + ΛÐELFERD MINETR E, small cross pattée. Grierson, Coins of Medieval Europe 126; CTCE group IV, a-al; SCBI 4 (Copenhagen) 628-33 var. (stops); BMC 1092-6 var. (legend and stops); North 537; SCBC 1019 Near EF. Very rare. Classical Numismatic Group Triton XXIII. 14 January 2020. Lot: 1230. Realized: 12,000 USD

In Norse mythology, a pair of ravens–Huginn and Muninn–serve as companions to the god Odin[8]. The raven is a common motif in Viking art. Anlaf Gufrithsson, a Hiberno-Norse warlord who briefly (939-941) ruled York issued a rare silver penny with a raven on the obverse and a small cross on the reverse.

A cataloguer writes:

“[O]n the obverse we find a raven with outstretched wings, a classic Viking symbol, which could, according to Blackburn, also serve in a “Christian context: the raven is associated with Saint Oswald (a Northumbrian royal saint)…[W]e can speculate whether the designers were subtly appealing to a dual audience.”[9]

Triquetra

Anglo-Viking (Hiberno-Norse Northumbria). Anlaf Sithtricsson (Cuaran). First reign, 941-944/5. AR Penny (19mm, 0.98 g, 9h). Triquetra type. York mint; "Ranan", moneyer. + ·A·NL·A·F CVNVNCIΓ, triquetra / + R·A·N·A·N MONET·Λ, fringed triangular standard bearing 'X' on cross-tipped pole. CTCE Group V (unlisted moneyer); SCBI -; BMC –; North 540; SCBC 1020 (this coin illustrated). Near EF. Extremely rare
Anglo-Viking (Hiberno-Norse Northumbria). Anlaf Sithtricsson (Cuaran). First reign, 941-944/5. AR Penny (19mm, 0.98 g, 9h). Triquetra type. York mint; “Ranan”, moneyer. + ·A·NL·A·F CVNVNCIΓ, triquetra / + R·A·N·A·N MONET·Λ, fringed triangular standard bearing ‘X’ on cross-tipped pole. CTCE Group V (unlisted moneyer); SCBI -; BMC –; North 540; SCBC 1020 (this coin illustrated). Near EF. Extremely rare. Classical Numismatic Group Triton XX. 10 January 2017. Lot : 1515. Realized: 13,000 USD.

“…a renowned warrior and a ruthless pillager of churches”[10], Anlaf Sithtricsson (better known by his Irish name Amlaib Cuaran) was another Hiberno-Norse warlord who briefly ruled York (941-944). His very rare silver penny[11] bears the ancient “triquetra”[12] symbol on the obverse and a fringed, triangular “Raven” banner on the reverse. Common in Celtic pagan art, the triquetra was adopted by early Irish Christians as a symbol of the Trinity.

Bloodaxe

Anglo-Viking (Hiberno-Norse Northumbria). Eric Bloodaxe. First reign, 947-948. AR Penny (21mm, 1.42 g, 2h). Small cross/Horizontal-Trefoil (HT1) type. York mint; Ingelgar, moneyer. + · ERIC · REX · INEE, small cross pattée / INGEL/GAR MO in two lines; three crosses pattée between, trefoil above and below. CTCE Group VII, o = SCBI 16 (Norweb), 128 (same dies); North 549; SCBC 1028. Good VF, small scratches on reverse, lightly toned. Extremely rare.
Anglo-Viking (Hiberno-Norse Northumbria). Eric Bloodaxe. First reign, 947-948. AR Penny (21mm, 1.42 g, 2h). Small cross/Horizontal-Trefoil (HT1) type. York mint; Ingelgar, moneyer. + · ERIC · REX · INEE, small cross pattée / INGEL/GAR MO in two lines; three crosses pattée between, trefoil above and below. CTCE Group VII, o = SCBI 16 (Norweb), 128 (same dies); North 549; SCBC 1028. Good VF, small scratches on reverse, lightly toned. Extremely rare. Classical Numismatic Group Triton XX 10 January 2017. Lot : 1518. Realized: 40,000 USD

The figure that Eric became in the Norse sagas is a heady mix of history, folklore, and political propaganda… The Heimskringla describes Eric as “a large and handsome man, strong and of great prowess, a great and victorious warrior,” but also “violent of disposition, cruel, gruff, and taciturn.”[13]

Anglo-Viking (Hiberno-Norse Northumbria). Eric Bloodaxe. Second reign, 952-954. AR Penny (20.5mm, 1.35 g, 10h). Sword type. York mint; Ingelgar, moneyer. ·ERIC·/·REX· in two lines; between, sword right and triple-pellets; triple-pellets above and below / + INGELGAR · IOT, cross pattée, pellets in quarters. CTCE Group XI, b-m; SCBI 4 (Copenhagen), 649–51 var. (rev. legend); BMS 1278–9 var. (same); North 550; SCBC 1030. Near EF, toned. A few deposits, slight bend in flan. Extremely rare and the most desirable of all Viking coins.
Anglo-Viking (Hiberno-Norse Northumbria). Eric Bloodaxe. Second reign, 952-954. AR Penny (20.5mm, 1.35 g, 10h). Sword type. York mint; Ingelgar, moneyer. ·ERIC·/·REX· in two lines; between, sword right and triple-pellets; triple-pellets above and below / + INGELGAR · IOT, cross pattée, pellets in quarters. CTCE Group XI, b-m; SCBI 4 (Copenhagen), 649–51 var. (rev. legend); BMS 1278–9 var. (same); North 550; SCBC 1030. Near EF, toned. A few deposits, slight bend in flan. Extremely rare and the most desirable of all Viking coins. Classical Numismatic Group Triton XX. 10 January 2017. Lot : 1519. Realized: 130,000 USD.

Perhaps the most famous Viking of British history, colorfully nicknamed Eric Bloodaxe (Eirik Haraldsson), was king of Norway (942 – 946) and intermittently king of York (948, 952-4). Only about 30 of his British coins are known, most in museums. A penny from his first reign at York brought $40,000 (against an estimate of $20,000) in a 2017 New York auction[14]. A “Sword” penny of his second reign, found in North Lincolnshire in 1987, went for $130,000 in that auction, possibly the record price for a Viking coin[15].

Cnut

Kings of All England. Cnut. 1016-1035. AR Penny (19mm, 1.11 g, 6h). Quatrefoil type (BMC viii, Hild. E). London mint; Beorhtnoth, moneyer. Struck circa 1016-1023. + CNVT REX ANGLORV, crowned and draped bust left within quatrefoil / + BR IHTN ΘD L VND, voided long cross with triple-crescent ends and pellet at center; all over quatrefoil. Grierson, Coins of Medieval Europe, p. 72; SCBI 14 (Copenhagen), 2200 (same dies);
Kings of All England. Cnut. 1016-1035. AR Penny (19mm, 1.11 g, 6h). Quatrefoil type (BMC viii, Hild. E). London mint; Beorhtnoth, moneyer. Struck circa 1016-1023. + CNVT REX ANGLORV, crowned and draped bust left within quatrefoil / + BR IHTN ΘD L VND, voided long cross with triple-crescent ends and pellet at center; all over quatrefoil. Grierson, Coins of Medieval Europe, p. 72; SCBI 14 (Copenhagen), 2200 (same dies); Classical Numismatic Group Triton XXIII. 14 January 2020. Lot : 1238. Realized: 950 USD

Born about 990, Cnut Sweynsson was the son of Sweyn Forkbeard and a grandson of Harald Bluetooth. In British history, he is known as “Canute the Great”. As king of Denmark, Norway and England, he ruled the short-lived “North Sea Empire”. To pay his troops, he issued abundant coinage from numerous mints, including London. On early issues, his crowned portrait appears within a “quatrefoil” (a four-lobed border)[16]. On later issues he appears with a conical helmet, or a simple headband. The reverse is invariably a cross, surrounded by the name of the moneyer and the mint.

Olof

Kings of All England. Cnut. 1016-1035. AR Penny (19mm, 1.11 g, 6h). Quatrefoil type (BMC viii, Hild. E). London mint; Beorhtnoth, moneyer. Struck circa 1016-1023. + CNVT REX ANGLORV, crowned and draped bust left within quatrefoil / + BR IHTN ΘD L VND, voided long cross with triple-crescent ends and pellet at center; all over quatrefoil. Grierson, Coins of Medieval Europe, p. 72; SCBI 14 (Copenhagen), 2200 (same dies). Classical Numismatic Group Triton XXIII. 14 January 2020. Lot : 1238. Realized: 950 USD
Kings of All England. Cnut. 1016-1035. AR Penny (19mm, 1.11 g, 6h). Quatrefoil type (BMC viii, Hild. E). London mint; Beorhtnoth, moneyer. Struck circa 1016-1023. + CNVT REX ANGLORV, crowned and draped bust left within quatrefoil / + BR IHTN ΘD L VND, voided long cross with triple-crescent ends and pellet at center; all over quatrefoil. Grierson, Coins of Medieval Europe, p. 72; SCBI 14 (Copenhagen), 2200 (same dies). Classical Numismatic Group Triton XXIII. 14 January 2020. Lot : 1238. Realized: 950 USD

Born about 980, Olof Skotknung (“Olof the Treasurer”) was king of Sweden from 995 to 1022. His father was Eric the Victorious and his mother was Sigrid the Haughty. The first Christian king of Sweden, he was baptized in 1008. His daughter Ingegerd married Yaroslav the Wise, Grand Prince of Kiev and was later canonized as an Orthodox saint. Olof issued coins at his capital, Sigtuna, on Lake Mälaren near Stockholm. Many of these coins imitate Anglo-Saxon silver pennies of Aethelred II[17], some crudely struck on square blanks. Early coins in Olof’s own name identify him as “King in Sigtuna”; later issues are inscribed “King of the Swedes”.

Harthacnut

Harthacnut (1035-1042). LUND. Penning. Serpent. +N·A·RD·ACNVT RX )( Cross made of semi-arches. +AS:LAC ON LVN:. Hbg 1. Bruun 1363; HbgA -. 1,03 g. Minor planchet crack. Beautiful patina. Myntauktioner i Sverige Auction 32. 28 April 2019. Lot : 206 Realized: 7,800 SEK approx. 822 USD.
Harthacnut (1035-1042). LUND. Penning. Serpent. +N·A·RD·ACNVT RX )( Cross made of semi-arches. +AS:LAC ON LVN:. Hbg 1. Bruun 1363; HbgA -. 1,03 g. Minor planchet crack. Beautiful patina. Myntauktioner i Sverige Auction 32. 28 April 2019. Lot : 206 Realized: 7,800 SEK approx. 822 USD.

The last Scandinavian to rule in England (1040-1042), Harthacnut (or Hardeknud) son of Canute the Great, was king of Denmark from 1035 to 1042. Most of his coins bear his portrait–usually holding a scepter–but a remarkable silver penny[18] from the mint of Lund in Denmark has a spiral serpent on the obverse. This is probably an image of Jörmundgandr[19], the world-encircling sea monster of Norse mythology. An ornate cross reverse, suggests a co-existence of Christian and pagan ideas.

Sven

DENMARK. Sven Estridsen. 1047-1075. AR Pennig (0.94 g, 12h). Lund mint, Wulfet, moneyer. [SV]II I II, angel standing right, handing banner to king standing left / +VL(ligate)I-NE: CTO.IIIC, voided long cross with triple crescent ends; lunettes in second and third quarters. Hauberg 8 var. (legends); Hauberg (Hede) 837; cf. DNM 57/2. VF, iridescent toning, typical wavy flan. ($400)
DENMARK. Sven Estridsen. 1047-1075. AR Pennig (0.94 g, 12h). Lund mint, Wulfet, moneyer. [SV]II I II, angel standing right, handing banner to king standing left / +VL(ligate)I-NE: CTO.IIIC, voided long cross with triple crescent ends; lunettes in second and third quarters. Hauberg 8 var. (legends); Hauberg (Hede) 837; cf. DNM 57/2. VF, iridescent toning, typical wavy flan. ($400). Classical Numismatic Group Triton IX. 10 January 2006. Lot: 1876. Realized: 400 USD.
Born about 1019 in England, Sven Estridsson ruled Denmark from 1047 until his death in 1076. Married three times, he fathered over 20 children, including five future kings. Harthacnut was his cousin. His reign was troubled by a long conflict with Harald Hardrada, the king of Norway who was slain in 1066 during a failed attempt to seize the English throne. Sven’s silver pennies[20] crudely copy designs from contemporary Byzantine gold coins, including Christ enthroned, and a standing figure of the king beside the Archangel Michael[21]. These magnificent coins were familiar to the Norse elite because Viking warriors served as imperial guards in Constantinople.

Olav Kyrre

Michael V Kalaphates, AV histamenon nomisma (4.44 gm). Thessalonica 1041-1042. +IhS XIS REX REgNANTIhM, Christ enthroned facing, nimbus cross behind head, holding book of gospels and raising right hand / +MI-XAHL DESPOT, the archangel Michael, winged, on left in tunic and mantle, and Michael V, with short beard, wearing saccos and loros, standing facing, holding labarum between them; manus Dei (the hand of God) crowning him. SB 1826.
Michael V Kalaphates, AV histamenon nomisma (4.44 gm). Thessalonica 1041-1042. +IhS XIS REX REgNANTIhM, Christ enthroned facing, nimbus cross behind head, holding book of gospels and raising right hand / +MI-XAHL DESPOT, the archangel Michael, winged, on left in tunic and mantle, and Michael V, with short beard, wearing saccos and loros, standing facing, holding labarum between them; manus Dei (the hand of God) crowning him. SB 1826.

Known as “Olav the Peaceful”, Olav III Haraldsson Kyrre ruled Norway from 1067 to 1093. The son of King Harald Hardrada, he had returned to Norway with an immense treasure he accumulated in the Varangian Guard, the mercenary force serving Byzantine emperors. About half copper, Olav’s “silver” pennies are known mainly from a single hoard of 2,000 coins found in 1878. The obverse is a stylized dragon’s head, possibly the ornamental crest of a helmet. The reverse bears a cross, with the moneyer’s runic inscription “Gunnar owns this die”[22].

In 1957, an amateur archaeologist found a worn and pierced example of this type at Naskeag Point on the coast of Maine, 775 miles (1,246 km) southwest of the Viking outpost in Newfoundland. A recent survey of the evidence by a Norwegian numismatist rejects arguments that this find was a hoax (Gullbekk, 6).

Leif Erikson

Leif Erikson was born c. 970 in Iceland. His father, Erik the Red, established the first Norse settlement in Greenland in 986. Surprisingly, no Viking coins have been found in Greenland, although a few have turned up in Iceland. Around the year 1000, Leif led a Viking band that established the aforementioned and short-lived outpost in Newfoundland, becoming the first Europeans (probably) to set foot in North America.

In 1925, the United States Mint issued a medal[23] commemorating the 100th anniversary of the arrival of he first Norwegian immigrants in the United States. Designed by James Earle Fraser (who designed the Buffalo nickel) the octagonal medal depicts Leif wearing the historically inaccurate horned helmet (a romantic fantasy of 19th-century operatic costume designers).

In 2000, to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Leif’s expedition, the US Mint issued a commemorative silver dollar with an accurate Viking helmet but inscribed “Founder of the New World”; an extravagant boast, considering the millions of Native Americans who already lived there.

* * *

Notes

[1] Gorny & Mosch Auction 234, 8 October 2015, Lot 4691. Realized €4,200 [about $4,753 USD; estimate €2,000].

[2] The Bluetooth wireless standard was named in his honor, in the hope that it would “unite devices the way Harald Bluetooth united the tribes of Denmark into a single kingdom”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harald_Bluetooth

[3] CNG Triton XXIII, 14 January 2020, Lot 1051. Realized $1,000 USD (estimate $750).

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivar_the_Boneless

[5] CNG Triton XXIII, 14 January 2020, Lot 1229. Realized $650 USD (estimate $500).

[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mjölnir

[7] CNG Triton XXIII, 14 January 2020, Lot 1276. Realized $15,000 USD (estimate $10,000).

[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huginn_and_Muninn

[9] CNG Triton XXIII, 14 January 2020, Lot 1230. Realized $12,000 USD (estimate $10,000).

[10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amlaib_Cuarán

[11] CNG Triton XX, 10 January 2017, Lot 1515. Realized $13,000 USD (estimate $10,000).

[12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triquetra

[13] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Bloodaxe#King_of_Northumbria

[14] CNG Triton XX, 10 January 2017, Lot 1518.

[15] CNG Triton XX, 10 January 2017, Lot 1519. Realized $130,000 USD (estimate $30,000).

[16] CNG Triton XXIII, 14 January 2020, Lot 1238. Realized $950 USD (estimate $500).

[17] CNG Triton XXI, 9 January 2018, Lot 1137. Realized $1,300 USD (estimate $1,000).

[18] Myntauktioner i Sverige Auction 32, 28 April 2019, Lot 206. Realized SEK 7,800 [about $822 USD].

[19] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jörmungandr

[20] CNG Triton IX, 10 January 2006, Lot 1876. Realized $400 USD (estimate $400).

[21] Gemini I, 12 January 2005, Lot 512. Realized $39,000 USD.

[22] CNG Triton XXIII, 14 January 2020, Lot 1194. Realized $3,000 USD (estimate $1,500).

[23] The silver medal currently sells for $400-500 USD.

References

Adams, Max. The Viking Wars. New York (2018)

Ghey, Eleanor. Hoards: Hidden History. London (2015)

Grierson, Philip and Mark Blackburn. Medieval European Coinage I. Cambridge (1986)

Grierson, Philip. Coins of Medieval Europe. London. (1991)

Gullbekk, Svein. “Coinage and Monetary Economies”, The Viking World (Stefan Brink, ed.). London (2008)

Gullbekk, Svein. “The Norse Penny Reconsidered: The Goddard Coin – Hoax or Genuine?”, Journal of the North Atlantic 33. (2017)

Moesgaard, J.C. and Ole Kastholm. “Making New Money: The Hedeby Coin”, The World in the Viking Age (Sindbaek, Soren and Athena Tradakas, eds.). Roskilde, Denmark (2014)

Skre, Dagfinn. “Monetary Practices in Early Medieval Western Scandinavia (5th – 10th Centuries AD)”, Medieval Archaeology. (2017)

Spink. Coins of England & the United Kingdom 46th Edition. London (2011)

Varenius, Björn. “The Hedeby Coinage”, Current Swedish Archaeology 2 (1994)
 

Mike Markowitz
Mike Markowitz
Mike Markowitz is a member of the Ancient Numismatic Society of Washington. He has been a serious collector of ancient coins since 1993. He is a wargame designer, historian, and defense analyst. He has degrees in History from the University of Rochester, New York, and Social Ecology from the University of California, Irvine. Born in New York City, he lives in Fairfax, Virginia.

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