Two Emperors Type

Sale: CNG 75, Lot: 1345. Estimate $5000.  Closing Date: Wednesday, 23 May 2007.  Sold For $7600. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

ANGLO-SAXON, Post-Crondall Period. Circa 655-675. Base AV Thrymsa (1.15 g, 3h). Two emperors type. Mint in Kent. Bust right; cross on stand before, chevron-barred A behind / Emperors enthroned facing; winged figure between. Beowulf 2 (this coin); Metcalf 79-80; North 20; SCBC 767. Good VF, toned.

From the Beowulf Collection.

This thrymsa type imitates the designs used on many late Roman solidi with a helmeted bust right on the obverse and two emperors below winged Victory on the reverse (e.g., RIC IX p. 79, 16 - a solidus of Magnus Maximus from Milan). The obviousness of this prototype is evident by its subsequent employment on rare pennies of Alfred the Great, where the type is reproduced almost exactly, including a legend enclosing the figures as on the Roman issues (Gannon pp. 84-87).