A silver penny of Cnut found near Claybrooke Magna, Leicestershire. (c) Portable Antiquities Scheme, CC BY-SA 4.0
Description
Coin of Cnut the Great (NARC-9AE391)
A silver penny of Cnut found near Claybrooke Magna, Leicestershire
This silver Helmet IIIc Type penny was minted for King Cnut of England by the moneyer Eadwine in Thetford. The obverse displays + CNUT RECXA with a figure wearing a pointed helmet. The reverse displays + EDPINE ON DEOD and a voided short cross.
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, portaying symbols and statements that gave off a desired message. The Vikings later used the minting of coins to legitimize their own rule.
