Edward the Confessor penny
BillJones
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I already had an Edward the Confessor penny, but I saw this one in an auction, and it grabbed my interest.
Most hammered English coins from this era have a crude bust, but this one shows Edward with a staff and an orb. The staff is in sign of rank and authority. The orb is symbolic of the world (Didn't people think that world was flat at this time?) and the authority of God over it. The Spink catalog number is 1181.
According to my Google search, the first British monarch to include and orb in his coronation ceremony was Charles II 1660. Yet here it is included in a piece that is much earlier, 1053 to 1056.
Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
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The sovereign/eagles type is quite distinct, and interesting. Edward’s coinage is a fun mix of designs. Most types are collectible, only a few transitional design rarities.
Here are a few types I have- PACX, hammer cross, and facing bust.
As far as the orb- the ‘globus cruciger’ or ‘orb with cross’ has been a Christian symbol of power for some time. I’m not sure how old it is, but it’s frequently seen on Byzantine coins that pre-date all Saxon coinage. Presumably the English design was copied, probably from European coins that copied the Byzantine coins, or directly from the Byzantine coins themselves. A cross on globus is seen as far back as the gold shilling of Eadbald of Kent (early 7th c.) and was then probably copied from contemporary Frankish coins.
It is generally the king or emperor who is holding it in art, coins, and seals, but on later medieval and Renaissance art, it is depicted in Jesus’ hand (i.e. Salvator mundi)
Thank you for sharing more information about the orb symbol, @Nap_Posts.
Here another Edward the Confessor penny that I have
The globe predates Christian imagery, as it can be seen - without the cross on top - on numerous Roman coins from the pre-Christian period. The novelty the Christians added was the cross perched on top (though sometimes the pagans depicted a phoenix perched on top of the globe, to symbolize world renewal after conflict).
As for the "didn't they think the world was flat" argument, well, this is a popular - and incorrect - myth. The ancient Greeks knew the world was round, simply by virtue of getting in a boat and observing ships and mountains disappearing over the horizon, and some time around 240 BC, Eratosthenes actually calculated empirically the diameter of the earth to a surprising degree of accuracy, given the only tools he had were a map, a sundial, and a knowledge of trigonometry. Columbus was using a (slightly mistranslated) version of Eratosthenes' maths when he made his voyage. And when Roman emperor Aurelian reconquered the pieces of the Empire that had seceded decades earlier, the Roman Senate gave him the title of "Resititutor Orbis" - literally Restorer of the Sphere, but more usually translated as "restorer of the world". So there was floating around since classical times this idea that the world was, and could be represented by, a sphere.
However, it's not entirely agreed that the globe was originally intended as a symbol of just the Earth. We use globes to represent the Earth, because we're used to that concept. But armillary spheres predate maps of the globe by over a millennia, so the far more common popular imagery of a globe was in the sphere of the universe, with the Earth at its centre and upon which the stars were placed. Thus, a god or emperor holding the globe represents not just "ruling the world", but "ruling the entire physical universe". Christ thus rightfully holds the globe as Ruler of Everything.
By mediaeval times, and in deliberate imitation of the old Byzantine imagery, an "Imperial orb" was part of the crown jewels of many European nations, symbolizing the king's role as God's vice-regent on Earth. But England didn't have its own physical royal orb as part of the crown jewels until Henry VIII had one made for his coronation. So the orb being waved about by Edward on this coin was a metaphorical one, rather than a physical one.
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
Apparently I have been awarded one DPOTD.
Thank you, @Sapyx
do you think Edward is wearing armor? I'm looking at that arm and hand holding the orb
My gut reaction would be no. While most of these guys had be military minded, it was often a matter of defending your land or going after someone else’s, my impression of Edward was that he was rather passive. Perhaps they might have put Edward in armor for polital reasons. The Vikings were always a threat. Still I couldn’t see Edward the Confessor leading an army.
It should also be remembered that Edward the legitimate heir to the English crown. He did not take it by force.
I have only this one.
The bust appears to have been double-struck, and the edge lettering is difficult to read, including the mint and the moneyer.
Any help attributing this is greatly appreciated!
It looks like the mint is Canterbury (CENTCE). The moneyer is a bit ambiguous. ELPED could be Aelfwerd or Aelfred, but if the stop before the P is the top of an F and the bit between the base of the P & E is the tail of an R, then EFRED would best fit the latter. That would be my choice of the two. Unfortunately there is nothing on EMC for either moneyer in Pointed Helmet.
While we are on Pointed Helmet, this is my example. EIELPINE ON LANC Aegelwine on Langport. An important coin as its appearance extended the opening period for the mint by another issue, the previous latest being the Expanding Cross type. Still unique to my knowledge.
And another Edward the Confessor. This time a PACX penny of Guildford. Again the only example, and with reference to the thread concerning whether you would included a damaged coin in the collection, it's self explanatory why this coin is acceptable despite the huge split. BLACMAN ON CYL
@robp2 , thank you VERY much for your kind help attributing my coin. I really appreciate it.
(I have gone bananas trying to decipher the legends).
It is odd that, as you say, neither moneyer is known for the pointed Helmet type. I will try to investigate that a bit more.
It's not odd at all. New moneyers for the type at a particular mint regularly appear. An Edward the Confessor small flan found last September and posted on another forum read ESTAN ON LVNDI which was a known moneyer, but not at London. This was just one of many. Rarely do you find a completely new, previously unknown moneyer, but even that happens on occasion. e.g the William II type 4 of Tamworth by the moneyer NIREPORD (Hereward?) that was sold by CNG a few years ago.
Moneyers got around a bit. 5 years ago I had a William II type 3 which was AELFGAET ON BRYD. No coins of the reign were previously known for Bridport, but the moneyer was known for Dorchester in types 2 & 4, so he obviously went 15 miles down the road to the next mint for a while before returning to Dorchester. There is still a lot we don't know.
Once again, many thanks @robp2 for your help, and for sharing your knowledge, and your collection with us
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Nice coin, I used to own one but sold it.