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Triton XXI (the Anglo-Saxon portion)

The Anglo-Saxon portion of the sale was anchored by the JDR collection of sceattas, supplemented notably by material from the Arthur Fitts III collection as well as a small grouping of nice high content AV thrymsas.

The prices were high. Super high. The estimates were useless. Some notable examples:

Lot 1309: a Witmen-derived thrymsa in EF hammered at ... actually, I don't even remember what it hammered at.
Lot 1312: a 'Two Emperors' thrymsa in EF hammered at $15K (or was it $16K, I forget) on an estimate of $5K.
Lot 1320: a Series W sceatt (this is the first coinage issue from the Kingdom of Wessex) hammered at $5.5K on an estimate of $2K. This coin is unusually nice for the type. Rare too.
Lot 1323: a Series Z, type 66, sceatt with the face of Christ, hammered at $5.5K or $6K on an estimate of $2K. Also, exceptionally nice and rare.
Lot 1344: a 'Star of David' sceatt in VF with nice eye appeal hammered at around 4x the estimate of $750. Again, very rare.
Lot 1363: a superb example of Series QIB sceatt, and with gorgeous toning, hammered at 6x or 7x the estimate of $750.

And on and on. I didn't take good notes of the realized prices, so I apologize for the imprecision above.

I did win three lots, via phone bidding:

Lot 1319:

ANGLO-SAXON, Primary Sceattas. Circa 700-710. AR Sceatt (11.5mm, 1.20 g, 12h). Aethiliraed Series (E), type 105. Mint in east Kent. ‘Porcupine’ right; wavy line below / AThILI/RAD (in Runic) in two lines around central line; all within double pelleted border. M&OdV 3548 = M. Bonser, “The North of England Productive Site Revisted” in SEMC 2 (2011), P5 - 1329 (this coin); Abramson 92.10; Metcalf 134; SCBI 63 (BM), 421–2; North 155; SCBC 780. Near EF, toned. Rare.

From the Dr. JDR Collection. Ex Spink Numismatic Circular CI.7 (September 1993), no. 6118. Found Sledmere, Yorkshire, 16 February 1993.

Lot 1330:

ANGLO-SAXON, Continental Sceattas. Circa 720-740. AR Sceatt (12mm, 1.26 g). Series E, Secondary ('Kloster Barthe') phase, sub-variety g (Type 4). Mint in northern Frisia. ‘Porcupine’ right, body enclosed with tiny pellets; bar and annulet below / ‘Standard’ with annulet center, two chevrons, cross, and triple pellets in corners; pseudo-legend around. M&OdV 1919 (same obv. die); Abramson 94.20; Metcalf –; cf. SCBI 63 (BM), 401; North 45; SCBC 790D. Superb EF, toned.

From the Dr. JDR Collection. Ex Spink Numismatic Circular CIV.3 (April 1996), no. 1462.

This coin has a spectacularly sharp strike.

Lot 1359:

ANGLO-SAXON, Secondary Sceattas. Circa 725-745. AR Sceatt (12.5mm, 1.00 g, 1h). Type 73 (Series Q/R mule). Mint in East Anglia. Crude bust right; chevron and pellet-in-annulets to left, retrograde ER (in Runic) to right / Quadruped advancing right; pellets around. Abramson 12.70; Metcalf p. 496–8; SCBI 63 (BM), 620; North 147; SCBC 812. EF, toned. Rare.

From the Dr. JDR Collection. Ex Triton II (1 December 1998), lot 1245.

How does one get a hater to stop hating?

I can be reached at evillageprowler@gmail.com

Comments

  • TwoKopeikiTwoKopeiki Posts: 9,528 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Nice additions. Killer strike on that second piece.

  • jgennjgenn Posts: 735 ✭✭✭✭✭

    These are outside my area of collection but I will say that I am jealous of the cool provenance of the first one you posted.

  • NapNap Posts: 1,702 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Excellent pick-ups.

    Especially like the 1st coin of Aethiliraed (?Aethelred of Mercia). I have two examples of that elusive reverse boustrophedon issue, and I really like the runic text.

    The traiditional view was that these coins were struck for Aethelred of Mercia (675-705). Though the coin is contemporary to that king, it was most likely struck in Kent since that is where the finds are most common (although I read an article that suggested it was of continental origin), and therefore the Aethelred was probably the name of a moneyer rather than the king.

    Kent and Mercia were certainly no friends at this time, and at some point Aethelred invaded the kingdom, though he did not try to annex it.

    There is also no other inscribed Mercian coinage in Aethelred's name, nor is there any mention of Aethelred's title "Rex" or "Regis", arguing against the name on the coin being that of the king.

  • EVillageProwlerEVillageProwler Posts: 5,859 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Nap,

    The ‘porcupine’ is certainly suggestive of a continental influence at least. And, at the time, Kent had a very vigorous trading activity going on with Continental merchants.

    EVP

    How does one get a hater to stop hating?

    I can be reached at evillageprowler@gmail.com

  • Jackthecat1Jackthecat1 Posts: 1,122 ✭✭✭

    You picked up some nice coins there. Congratulations.

    Member ANS, ANA, GSNA, TNC



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