I have had this penny, which is usually attributed to William the Conqueror, for some time. It is nice, but some experts have said that it might have been issued by his son, William II, also known as Rufus. Here are the notes from my notebook. William the Conqueror Penny, Spink 1257, North 848 “The Pax Type Type(1083 to 1086?) Obverse: Pillelm Rex, “William King” Reverse: +Edric on Lvnd “Eadric (moneyer) from London” PAXS “Peace” The often cited dates for this piece are 1083 to 1086. There is school of thought that this coin was issued during the early rule of William II (Rufus). The reason is that the PAX types were sometimes issued during the first years of a king’s rule. Overstruck coin evidence shows that this piece was struck after the early years of William’s rule. Also to have issued a piece proclaiming “peace” during the early period of William’s reign would have been ludicrous. William was constantly at war subduing his Anglo-Saxon enemies. Therefore this type could have been issued at the end of William the Conqueror’s rule when he had firmly established his rule in England. It is also possible that this type was issued during the reigns of both kings. It could have marked the end of the William the Conqueror era and the beginning of the William II reign. The “PAXS” type was considered to be quite rare until June 30, 1833 when four children discovered the Beaworth Hoard which contained at least 6,439 pieces. This is the eighth and most common type of the William the Conqueror pennies. Here is a piece I just purchased from Heritage. The pictures are from the Heritage site. William The Conqueror Penny, Spink 1254, North 845, “The Stars Type” B.M.C. 5 (1074 to 1077?) Obverse: Pillelm Rex, “William King” Reverse: Brihtric moneyer. London Mint The meaning of the two stars on this piece has been speculative. Some believe that it was symbolic of the two comets. The first one, which we now call Halley’s Comet, was seen before the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It was taken to be a bad omen for Harold II and a good omen for William the Conqueror. This comet is pictured on the Bayeux Tapestry. Some have said the second stands for the Palm Sunday Comet which was seen in 1077. The problem with these theories is the dates for this type of penny, 1074 to 1077. The year 1066 would seem to be too early to include on this piece and obviously 1077 would be too late. The conclusion is the symbolism of the stars has been lost to history.
What an intriguing mystery surrounding these wonderful coins! The romantic side of me would like to believe it is Halley's Comet.
Every source I have read about the 1066 comet that appears on the Bayeux Tapestry states that it was Halley’s Comet. The astrological calculations must support it. The comet has been as regular as clock work for at least many centuries and probably thousands of years.
As my Roman coin collection is approaching completion (coins that I need rarely come along), I moved on to British coins (Celtic through Victoria). William is definitely on the list, but I still feel ignorant enough about this coinage to not make the kind of bids needed to take them down. This type of post helps..... I'll get there eventually .
I will warn you. They are harder to read than the the Roman coins. They have a somewhat different alphabet, and late die state pieces can be a bear to decipher. Once you get to the Renaissance era, starting mid way through Henry VII, circa 1500, it gets much easier.
Yes, I was trying to puzzle out any of the letters... Wonderful coin, I'm green with envy, not verdigris
