Sale: CNG 60, Lot: 2170. Estimate $7500.  Closing Date: Wednesday, 22 May 2002.  Sold For $6800. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Aethelred II. 978-1016. AR Penny (1.73 gm). Long cross type, circa 997-1003. Axbridge mint. Ælfnoth, moneyer. + ÆDELRÆD REX LNGLOX (NG and OR ligate), bare headed bust left / + ÆLF-NOD M-O LXL, long voided cross with central pellet. North 774; BMC Anglo-Saxon II -; F.E. Jones, "The Mint of Axbridge," BNJ XXX (1960), pg. 67, 1, pl. VI, 12 (same dies); Seaby 1151. Toned, good VF. Extremely rare mint. ($7500)

Dr. William J. Conte Collection of Late Anglo Saxon, Part 2; ex Peter Spink Collection.

Axbridge was an ancient borough, being listed in both the Burghal Hidage and the Domesday Survey. However, it was not certainly recognized as a mint until P.W.P. Carlyon-Britton wrote his article "'Uncertain' Anglo-Saxon Mints and Some New Attributions," BNJ VI (1910), pg. 13-47. In "The Mint of Axbridge," Jones describes the attempts by various individuals to attribute, with greater or lesser success, Axbridge's mint signature. Jones listed only nineteen coins of Axbridge in his 'miniature corpus', although he admits the possibility of more examples being unrecognized due to earlier erroneous attributions, likely to Exeter.

Of the nineteen known specimens, only two are not in museums and one of those two Jones was unable to locate. This coin is perhaps the missing piece, 1b of Jones' catalogue, which in 1853 was in the possession of Sir Montague L. Chapman and was published in R. Sainthill, Olla Podrida,ii, pg. 149, pl. 26, 4. Unfortunately, it is illustrated with only a simplistic line drawing which is not useful for identification purposes.