Wigraed

[Roerbakmix]

Last week I spotted a sceatta on a facebook group that sold for a whopping of 41 GBP. I missed it, and was rather frustrated as it was a rare, late English sceatta with the moneyers name WIGRAED (in Runic) inscribed on it. Luckily, I knew the winner, who sold it for me for 60 GBP - a very fair price. 

The coin arrived today, and it was in pitiful condition:

I was able to improve it a little bit, showing the legend and confirming my ID:

EARLY MEDIEVAL, Anonymous. Denomination: AR Sceatta (Series R10 (Wigraed)), minted: East Anglia, uncertain mint; c. 710-750 AD
Obv: Radiate bust of crude style right, annulet either side of head, runic "WIGED", before, ΛO and pellets behind, wearing collared drapery
Rev: Beaded degenerate standard 
Weight: 0.71g; Ø: 11 mm. 
Ex. Victor Parsons 05-2023; acq.: 05-2023
Find location: England Published: No
 

To help reading a little bit, here are the runes outlined in red (ᚹᛁᚷᛖᛞ)

It's a nice, though debased and rough, companion to my other Wigraed:

... which is even more debased (though not as rough) as the one I've added today. Some on that coin was posted here (https://www.cointalk.com/threads/added-two-sceattas-series-b-and-r.367032/#post-4889258) before. 

[John Conduitt]

Well spotted.

[Roerbakmix]

41 minutes ago, John Conduitt said:

Well spotted.

Thanks. These were the seller photos:

Always fun to spot an overlooked rarity 🙂 

[John Conduitt]

10 minutes ago, Roerbakmix said:

Thanks. These were the seller photos:

Always fun to spot an overlooked rarity 🙂 

They were lucky to sell that at all with those photos. Although now that you've pointed out the runes it's not so hard. I'll be looking for them 😉

[Gavin Richardson]

Very cool. I’m unfamiliar with that name. In Anglo-Saxon, Wigraed should translate to something like “war counselor.“ Or “counseled / prepared for battle.”  Would like to learn more about this figure.
 

[JeandAcre]

@Gavin Richardson, that's a very cool observation in its own right.  It's really too bad that for moneyers as early as this, primary documentation isn't likely to be forthcoming. 

But, yes, the name is evocative as get-out.  (To wallow in the obvious, compare to 'AEthelred Unraed.')  It has to remind me of the moneyer for the Norse Dublin penny of Sihtric Silkbeard that I did an OP about, as valuably amplified, for one, by @Nap.

I'll (mostly) just quote the OP.

"It’s in this context [Norse engravers from York imported for Sihtric's coins in Dublin] that Farman, the moneyer of this example, begins to acquire more resonance. It’s from an Old Norse name, Farmaðr, denoting a seafarer or traveling merchant.
https://www.familyeducation.com/baby-names/name-meaning/farman "

 

 

Edited May 26, 2023 by JeandAcre

[Rsceatfan]

Thanks for the link and information about Wigraed Sceatta. As you can see I have joined the group. I have just finished a booklet about Wigraed / Wigrd Sceatta, there are three distinct types, two with the “long” spelling of Wigraed and one with the abbreviated spelling of Wigrd. The “ae” looking like F is one character. On one type the F has a long tail forming part of the exergual element, there is also the “short tail” variant. In the third type the “ae” is missing. There are six styles of Standard on the Reverse. For those of you interested there is my website about R series Sceatta www.r8sceattatypes.website 

[Nap]

Great coins, and quite rare.  Nothing is known of this Wigraed, or of the other name on these coins, Tilberht.  These guys were probably the moneyers who made the coins, though it's not 100% certain.  They could have been local magistrates.  East Anglian history of this era is very minimally recorded, sometimes we are lucky if we have the name of the king, and that's about it.

These (late?) coins of series R often look extremely debased, I know mine do.

Here are examples of R10 (Wigraed) and R11 (Tilberht)

 

 

 

While the Wigraed might benefit from some conservation, I will never touch it again.  Some might remember this story I shared about it's narrow escape from the jaws of the garbage truck.