British and World Coins

William I (1066-1087), Penny, Canopy type, Chester, Frithegist, frioderest on leg, 1.30g/3h (Harris –; BMC –; N 843; S 1252). Bent and slightly cracked, otherwise good very fine and of fine style, extremely rare £900-1,200

Frithegist is a known Chester moneyer for William I class ii. This appears to be the first reported specimen of BMC iii

EMC 2012.0019 and UKDFD 27126, found near Market Rasen, Lincolnshire. There are coins of a moneyer Frith(e)gist or Friothekest in William I types 2 and 3 with ambiguous mint signatures (LEGE, LEG and LEI) in addition to a William I type 7 penny of Fretthgest with a clear Leicester signature (LHR), but no other mint has a moneyer with any version of this name in the Norman period and it may be suggested that all of these coins should be attributed to Leicester (ex inf. Dr Martin Allen)