A silver penny of Aethelred I of Wessex was found in the mass grave at Repton and minted by a moneyer apparently called Liabinc. The location of minting is unknown. Aethelred I was King of Wessex from 865 until his death in 871. Aethelred’s reign coincided with the arrival of the Viking Great Heathen Army in England and he fought them with little success during their invasion of Wessex which began in 870. After his death, he was succeeded by his youngest brother, Alfred the Great, who carried on the war with the Vikings.

Minting coins was a way of controlling the means of exchange within a kingdom and which created a more easily administered standardized system of trade. Moreover, the coins themselves were often used as propaganda, portraying symbols and statements that gave off a desired message. The Vikings later used the minting of coins to legitimize their own rule.