THRYMSAS: FIRST ANGLO-SAXON GOLD COINS

After Rome's power faded in western Europe, gold still spoke.

Small gold coins moved through the ports, markets, and royal courts of the early Middle Ages. They crossed the Channel from Francia. They passed through Kent, London, York, and other centers of power. Then, around 600 CE, Anglo-Saxon England began to make its own versions.

Today, collectors call these coins thrymsas. Their users probably called them scillingas, or shillings.

That difference matters. "Thrymsa" came from the Latin name tremissis, or triens. The word appears in Anglo-Saxon written sources. However, most specialists believe the people who spent these coins used another name.

Even so, "thrymsa" remains the standard numismatic term. It describes one of the most important coinages in early English history.

These tiny coins weigh about half as much as a modern U.S. dime. Yet they carry a huge story. They mark England's return to coinage after the end of Roman Britain. They also reveal a world of trade, imitation, religion, and political ambition.

Three Phases of Anglo-Saxon Gold

During the seventh century, Anglo-Saxon gold coinage changed fast.

Numismatists divide the series into three broad stages. First came the Substantive Gold phase, also called the Crondall phase. These coins retained relatively strong gold content.

Next came the Pale Gold phase. The coins looked lighter and more silvery because moneyers added more silver and base metal.

Finally came the Transitional phase. By then, gold had almost disappeared from the coinage. Around 680, silver sceattas replaced thrymsas.

That shift from gold to silver changed English money. It also prepared the way for the later penny system.

Eadbald: The First English King Named on a Coin

Eadbald. King of Kent, 616-640. Gold Thrymsa – Shilling (11mm, 1.27 g,). London mint. AVD[VABLD RE]GE(S) (S retrograde), diademed and draped bust right; cross to right / + TINVII(R)AZZOEHV(S) (R inverted, retrograde; S retrograde), cross on globe within beaded circle. North 29

Eadbald ruled Kent from 616 to 640. Kent sat in the southeast corner of England, close to Frankish Gaul and the Channel trade routes.

His father, Æthelberht, became the first Anglo-Saxon ruler to convert to Christianity. His mother, Bertha, came from the Merovingian royal house. She was the daughter of King Charibert.

That background gave Eadbald a powerful position. It also placed Kent at the center of England's early Christian and commercial networks.

Eadbald holds a special numismatic distinction. He became the first English ruler named on a coin.

About eight examples of his thrymsa survive. Most remain in museums. All known examples share the same obverse die. However, different reverse dies exist. That variety suggests a meaningful issue, not a one-off experiment.

The gold fineness varies from about 74% to 64%. That range also fits the early stage of Anglo-Saxon gold.

Concordia: A Roman Idea Reborn

ANGLO-SAXON, Pale Gold Phase. Circa 650-675. AV Thrymsa (12mm, 1.29 g, 9h). Type II.i (‘Concordia' or ‘Clasped hands'). Radiate bust right / Clasped hands; NIB (B retrograde) above, A below. North 16; SCBC 765. One of only four known, one of two in private hands.

The "Concordia" type belongs to the Pale Gold phase, about 650–675. Only about four examples survive.

The obverse shows a right-facing head with a radiate crown. The reverse shows clasped hands, the ancient symbol of friendship and agreement.

The design looks back to Roman coinage. More specifically, it copies a type associated with Carausius, the Roman usurper who ruled a breakaway empire in Britain from 286 to 293.

That makes the coin remarkable. Near the end of the Pale Gold phase, an Anglo-Saxon moneyer copied a design roughly 382 years old.

This is the "wow" moment of the series. A seventh-century die cutter reached back into the Roman past and turned imperial propaganda into Anglo-Saxon gold.

Transitional Thrymsas: Gold Fades into Silver

ANGLO-SAXON, Transitional Phase. Circa 675-680. Pale AV Thrymsa – Shilling (12mm, 1.31 g,). Mint in Kent. Helmeted bust right; CHZIO upwards to right, (retrograde C)T? upwards to left / (Runic letters)T TIA(retrograde E), standard inscribed TT/o/XX.North 32; Near EF, a few marks. Struck on a broad flan, showing the full crest of the helmet. Very rare thus. – ANGLO-SAXON, Transitional Phase. Circa 675-680. Pale AV Thrymsa – Shilling (12mm, 1.31 g,). Mint in Kent. Helmeted bust right; CHZIO upwards to right, (retrograde C)T? upwards to left / (Runic letters)T TIA(retrograde E), standard inscribed TT/o/XX.North 32; Near EF, a few marks. Struck on a broad flan, showing the full crest of the helmet. Very rare thus.

By about 675–680, British thrymsas contained 15% gold or less. Soon, silver replaced them.

The new silver coins kept similar sizes and related designs. Numismatists call them sceattas, from an Anglo-Saxon word for "treasure." However, contemporary users probably called them penningas, or pennies.

The last thrymsas with detectable gold belong to the Transitional phase. They often show a helmeted head on the obverse. The reverse usually carries a crude Roman-style military standard, or labarum.

That final stage closes the gold chapter. At the same time, it opens the silver age of English coinage.

To read the complete article, see:
Thrymsas: First Anglo-Saxon Gold Coins (https://coinweek.com/thrymsas-the-tiny-gold-coins-that-launched-anglo-saxon-englands-money/)

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