The North Yorkshire Moors Collection of British Coins formed by Marvin Lessen (Part 2)

Stephen and Henry II, Penny, Cross Pommée (’Awbridge’) type [BMC VII], London, moneyer uncertain, [————] : lvn, 1.46g/10h (Allen, BNJ 2012, p.112; Allen, BNJ 2006, dies unmatched; cf. Mack 117; BMC 196ff; N 881; S 1282). Struck off-centre and much of legend missing, otherwise very fine with a clear portrait, toned £300-£400

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The North Yorkshire Moors Collection of British Coins.

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Provenance: Bt C. Blom 1968.

The cataloguer has been unable to distinguish a die-match to either side in Martin Allen’s corpus of the known coins, but the obverse has a resemblance to Allen 144, a coin of the moneyer Rodbert (ex P. Carlyon-Britton 1970 and G. Alliss 166).

It may be assumed that the majority of the type VII issue, the introduction of which was a by-product of the Treaty of Winchester, negotiated in November 1153 between Stephen and Matilda’s son, Henry of Anjou, was coined after Stephen’s death in October 1154. The coinage retained Stephen’s name and it was not until 1158, when type VII was subsumed by the Cross and Crosslets issue, that coins started to bear the name of Henry, although some mints may have had periods of reduced activity after 1156 (Allen, BNJ 2006, p.246)