Alberht of East Anglia - Coinage

Coinage

The minting of coins in East Anglia probably began during the reign of Beonna. A mint probably operated from Suffolk: coins continued to be produced through a period of Mercian hegenomy and East Anglian independence, until the invasion by the Vikings in the second half of the 9th century.

The confirmation of Alberht as a historical figure emerges from the discovery by controlled excavation of a single coin that can be attributed to him. The authenticity and date-horizon of the coin is not doubt. The coin was discovered by Valerie Fenwick at Burrow Hill, at Butley, Suffolk, in a stratified deposit which also contained several varieties of late sceattas of a runic type and coins that were minted by Beonna. It was found in a defensible estuary island site in a strategic position near Rendlesham, a known seat of Wuffingas power.

The runes on the sceatta depicting the moneyer's name read 'Tiælred' (which is perhaps a version of the name Coeldred) and the obverse reads simply 'Ethælbert'. The coin, of about 42% silver, was struck on a module comparable to the larger planchet which characterises the later strikes of Beonna's most prolific moneyer, Efe. The formula resembles the moneyed for Beonna by Wilred, but the confident lettering and beading more resembles the work of Efe. Stylistically, therefore, the coin is closely connected to Beonna.

The coin was presented to the British Museum in 1992.