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Coin (Obverse), a penny of Ethelstan

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From Storr Rock, Skye

Coin (Obverse), a penny of Ethelstan
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This silver coin is part of a hoard of hacksilver and Anglo-Saxon and Arabic coins buried at Storr Rock in Skye around 935 to 940. The mixture of coins from far-flung areas and silver bullion indicates that the hoard belonged to a Viking trader or settler.

The coin was minted for the Anglo-Saxon king Ethelstan in London. This side shows a portrait of the king, with an inscription in Latin which translates as 'King Ethelstan'. Coins of this type were minted between 933 and 938.

In the Viking world, silver and, to a lesser extent, gold were used as a medium of exchange, weighed on balances. Any type of silver, complete objects, coins or hacksilver, was valid tender. Much of the silver was nicked and bent to test its purity.

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