British and World Coins, Historical Medals and Tokens

Eadgar (959-975), Penny, Circumscription Cross type, Southampton, moneyer Osvlf, +eadgar rex to bri, contraction mark after to and between r and i reverse. o.svlf mo hamtvn, wt. 1.36gms [21.0 grs]. With chip to rim and rather buckled, otherwise very fine, a unique coin with this moneyer and type (£300-500)

Found near Winchester, Hants. This coin has been published in the BNJ [vol. 62, 1992]. The note by Marian Archibald reads as follows. “The moneyer is not recorded in CTCE in this type for Eadgar. The name Osulf is also known in the Eadgar Pre-Reform type at Derby, and in the Post Reform at Derby and York; in earlier reigns it is found at other Mercian mints. This might suggest that the Hamtun signature here denotes Northampton rather than Southampton but Osulf is never found on any other mint signed coins for that mint. a to brit legend normally points to a Mercian mint, but it is also found in this type at Winchester and Wallingford. The Hamtun coin is very close in style to these two southern mints, including the similar contracted forms on coins of both southern and Mercian style attributed to Northampton. The absence of large pre-Reform hoards from the south and south east probably means that issues from that area are under-represented in modern collections and that ‘new’ coins are to expected. The finding of this coin near Winchester would seem to add support to an attribution to the southern Hamtun mint .