Item number: A380

Year: AD 1100-1135

Material: Silver

Size: 20.2 x 19.7 x 0.2 mm

Weight: 1.3 g

Provenance: Noonans 2022

This is a silver penny minted during the reign of Henry I, the last ruler of the Norman dynasty in England, around the 12th century AD. The coin was produced using a manually struck method, which resulted in an uneven surface due to inconsistent striking force. Consequently, many of the peripheral details and inscriptions on the coin are indistinct or missing.

The obverse of the coin features a circular border, within which is a frontal portrait of Henry I, composed of dots and geometric lines. The depiction includes discernible facial features, a moustache, and a crown atop his head. To the left of his cheek is a radiating symbol. The outer circle was intended to bear an inscription, but due to insufficient striking force during minting, only a few faint letters in the upper left can be barely observed.

The reverse of the coin features a beaded circle enclosing an openwork cross adorned with three small round beads at the top. At the centre of the cross is an eight-pointed star, with each quadrant of the cross containing three small round beads. Surrounding the cross are four fleur-dae-lis, symbolising the connection between the English monarchy and its French territories. The outer rim of the coin was intended to bear an inscription, and the letters “ER” can be clearly observed in the upper left corner.

Henry I was the fourth son of William the Conqueror, who led the Norman conquest of England. In AD 1100, Henry I ascended to the throne after the death of his older brother, William II (known as William Rufus), who died in a hunting accident. Despite his efforts, Henry I failed to leave a male heir to succeed him. Upon his death in AD 1135, a brief civil war ensued over the succession, ultimately leading to the throne being inherited by his nephew, Henry II, thus marking the beginning of the Plantagenet dynasty.

物件編號: A380

年代: 公元 1100-1135 年

材料: 銀

尺寸: 20.2 x 19.7 x 0.2 mm

重量: 1.3 g

來源: 諾南斯 2022

這是一枚公元12世紀之際，英格蘭諾曼第王朝的末代統治者，亨利一世在位期間鑄造的一便士銀幣。錢幣以人工手打的方式製作，由於施力不均，錢幣表面凹凸不平且諸多外圍的銘文細節被忽略掉。

錢幣正面有一道圓圈，內部是以圓點和幾何線條構成的亨利一世正面肖像，可以看出人物的五官、八字鬍和頭頂的王冠，左臉頰的旁邊則有一個光芒圖騰。圓圈外圍理當會有銘文，不過由於製造過程中的施力不足，僅能勉強觀察到左上方依稀的幾個字母。

錢幣背面有一道珠圈，內部是一個頂端以三粒圓珠裝飾的鏤空十字造型。十字內部的正中央有一個八芒星裝飾，四個方位各有三粒圓珠。十字架外圍以四朵百合花裝飾，象徵著英格蘭王室和法國領地的淵源。錢幣外圍也有打印銘文，能觀察到左上角較為清晰的「ER」字樣。

亨利一世是率領諾曼人征服英格蘭的征服者威廉四子。公元1100年，亨利一世繼承因打獵意外身亡的兄長紅臉威廉的王位，成為諾曼第王朝的新統治者，不過卻未能留下子嗣繼承王位。公元1135年，亨利一世辭世後，王位經過短暫的內戰為外甥亨利二世的金雀花王朝繼承。