Description
Denomination: Silver long cross penny
Period: Plantagenets
Date: After 1279
Origin: London mint
Condition: Very fine. obverse nicely centred. toned with good portrait
Obverse: Crowned facing bust. legend around +EDWR’ ANGL DNS hYB
Reverse: Long cross. with three pellets in each quarter. legend around CIVI TAS CAN TOR
Size and Weight: 1.34g. 18.5mm
References: Spink 1396
Features and Provenance: Edward I. also known as Edward ‘Longshanks’ due to his tall stature. was king of England from 1272 to 1307. During his reign there was constant unrest with chieftains in Wales. as a result. Edward built multiple castles in Wales as strongholds. Such wonderful castles as Harlech. Rhuddlan. Conwy and Caernarvon were constructed or rebuilt. His first wife. Eleanor of Castile seemingly gave birth in nearly all of them. having sixteen children in all; sadly. only seven survived to adulthood.
Edward also became known as the ‘Hammer of the Scots’ for having put pay to armies at Carlisle. Berwick and Dunbar. He also brought an end to the aspirations of William Wallace when ‘Braveheart’ was unsurprisingly betrayed by his own people.
His reign also saw the first appearance of the halfpenny. previously it had been merely a penny cut in half. which was not particularly secure. leading to ‘clipping’. the practice of cutting off small pieces of silver and hoarding the clippings.
Although mainly known for his methods of dealing with insurrection north of the border. which some may consider a trifle heavy-handed (a penchant for imprisoning female ‘nobles’ in cages was a particular fancy). Edward was a real enthusiast when it came to persecution; he also took exception to Jews. exploiting them as a source of ‘taxation’. using them as a means to crack down on coin-clipping (as referenced above) by having hundreds of them executed. before finally banishing the entire Jewish population from his kingdom in 1290. taking possession of all their property and declaring himself the beneficiary of an loans they had previously arranged.
Condition Summary. This varies with the age of coin and there are grades between
Uncirculated (U). As struck with no traces of wear
Extremely Fine (EF). Very slight traces of wear. all parts of legend etc present. visible and clear
Very Fine (VF). Some signs of wear on the higher parts of the relief. all parts of legend etc present. but maybe worn
Fine (F). Wear on the coin and parts of legend etc may be missing or not visible
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