WIGRAED (ᚹᛁᚷᚱᚨᛖᛞ) - new study by Chris Timms with some supplementary data

[Roerbakmix]

For collectors of sceattas, Wigraed and Tilberth are familiar names, though they are a bit of an acquired taste. They represent a very small subgroup of the series R sceattas - R10 and R11 respectively, very late in the chronology of this already late and imitative series. Nobody really knows who Wigraed and Tilberth were: likely a local moneyer, or perhaps a chief. A relatively large number of dies of the Wigraed type is known (Chris Timms, expert on series R, recently published a study on this type, which can be found here (link). This study was partly based on a corpus I had compiled prior, but never found time to properly write down. I was happy to provide it to Chris.) While approximately 70 specimens are known, they seldomly come to market, with only 12 instances appearing on ACsearch since 2010. Nevertheless, I was fortunate to acquire two specimens that were overlooked on Facebook groups.

Interestingly, and this is something I just found out, coin #2 and #3, two coins of very similar style (but no die match) were found by the same person. Of coin #3, I have a known find location (Downham Market, Norfolk). Based on assumption, coin #2 must be found in the vicinity. 

The aim of the present post is to (1) distribute the study by Chris Timms, and (2) categorize my coins following this publication, and (3) add some supplementary data to the study of Chris. 

The publication on R10 sceattas by Chris Timms

Chris grouped the R10 in 6 groups, some of which are again categorized in subgroups:

1. Runes WIGRAED fully written out, with the rune AE (looking like capital F) with a long tail. 
   1. subtype 1: two pellets under ear. No pellets in annulets. 
   2. subtype 2: no pellets in annulets
   3. subtype 3: pellets within annulets, angled line with pellet below the ear. 
   4. subtype 4: no pellets within annulets
   5. subtype 5: pellets in annulets
   6. subtype 6: to left, no pellets in annulets
2. Runes WIGRAED fully written out, large XX under the bust
3. Runes WIGRD abbreviated, large XX under the bust
4. Runes WIGRAED fully written out, with the rune AE (looking like capital F) with a long tail, bust to left(=this is the main difference with group 1)
5. Runes WIGRAED fully written out, large XX under the bust, bust to left (= main difference with group 2)
6. Runes WIGRD abbreviated, large XX under the bust, bust to left (= main difference with group 4)

My coins, categorized following this method:

As said, I now own three Wigraed sceattas. The one below is included in the corpus (listed as #53)

Coin #1

The first was actually one of my first sceattas, bought at a Dutch coin fair and then unrecognized by myself as an R10 (and luckily also by the seller). Its reverse is unique for this R10 series - no other sceattas I know of have this geometric pattern. It's of very low silver purity, and low weight. 

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 ""WIGR"", before, ΛO and pellets behind, wearing collared drapery
Rev: Beaded degenerate standard containing symmetrical geometric symbols, central annulet, cross pommée to each side, diagonals at outer corners
Weight: 0.72g; Ø:11 mm. Catalogue: Abramson 11.150. Provenance: Coin fair Houten; bought from E. Datema; acq.: 09-2020

Chris Timms put this it in WIGRAED long tailed AE (AEL) obverse group 2, and reverse group 4. 

• Obverse group 2: there are no pellets in the annulets
• Reverse type: see here https://www.r8sceattatypes.website/wigaed_long_tailed_ael_groups_one_and_four.html

Coin #2

I spotted the next coin on Facebook, but was just too late. Luckily, the person who bought it was willing to sell it to me. It's a debased coin in poor condition, and not included in the corpus of Chris. 

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 ""WIGR"", before, ΛO and pellets behind, wearing collared drapery
Rev: Beaded degenerate standard
Weight: 0.71g; Ø:12.1 mm. Catalogue: Abramson 11.150. Provenance: Found by Charles Brown
Ex. Victor Parsons 05-2023; acq.: 05-2023
Find location: England, exact location unknown Published: No

The corroded obverse makes this a difficult attribution. I have highlighted the aspects that are relevant for the attribution:

Clearly, the runes are abbreviated (RED), and there are large crosses under the bust (BLUE). There is only one annulet visible, but it contains no pellet. This would make it Group 3, subgroup 1. The reverse is type one (see https://www.r8sceattatypes.website/r_10_wigrd_rd.html). 

Coin #3

The third and final Wigraed is the coin below, which is again in a poor state of preservation. I bought it the same way as the coin above: it was listed on FB cheaply, and bought cheaply by another member who happily sold it with some profit to me. I believe it's exactly the same attribution as the coin above (it's not a die match, but very close to it):

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 ""WIGR"", before, ΛO and pellets behind, wearing collared drapery
Rev: Beaded degenerate standard
Weight: 0.68g; Ø:11.6 mm. Catalogue: Abramson 11.150. Provenance: Found by Charles Brown, sold to David Jenner, and bought from him. ; acq.: 11-2023
Find location: Downham Market, Norfolk Published: EMC 2023.0503.
 

Supplementary data to the study of Chris TImms

Search methods and characteristics.

As mentioned above, I compiled a corpus of R10 sceattas (n=66), using exhaustive searches, see Table 1 (mostly during night shifts). Most came from EMC (duplicates from other sources were deleted if the coin was included in EMC). Weight was available for 55 coins. The average was 0.84 (SD = 0.099), see histogram Figure 1, a weight that is slightly lower than the average sceatta (usually, sceattas weigh 1.0g). Based on photo's, most coins were of low silver content, which might explain the low weight. Dimensions were available for 9 coins, and were 11.9mm on average (slightly larger than usual, but because of the small number of coins of which a diameter is known, no firm conclusion should be made). Of the coins with a legible obverse (n=45), most were oriented to the right (n=35). Most reverses showed the typical TToII reverse, a reverse that is common on series A / C / R. 

Distribution pattern

The previous distribution map was drawn by Metcalf in 1993-4, based on two R10 sceattas. The current study increases this number substantially. Of 42 coins, a find location was known. All coins were found in the UK. I drafted a distribution pattern, showing all known find locations. Red squares are locations with 2 or less finds registered. Blue are more than 2. This map shows a clear distribution pattern, with most coins found between the villages Butley and Rendlesham - only 4.4 miles from the Sutton Hoo burial site. In Rendlesham, a large Anglo-Saxon settlement of more than 124 acres was identified. @Napprobably can expand a bit more on the historical significance of this location. 

 

Conclusion

The study by Chris Timms provide a useful method to attribute the R10 sceattas based on style. The data supplemented to this study by myself provide evidence for a mint in East Anglia, possibly near the Anglo Saxon village Rendlæsham, and is the largest study on distribution patterns to date, with the only other being the study by Metcalf who included two examples. 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 3, 2023 by Roerbakmix

[Nap]

A fascinating series.  Wigraed, an otherwise forgotten artisan from a largely forgotten age, is remembered for posterity by the placement of his runes on the coin's face.  Wigraed was no Euainetos or Kimon.  The art was simplistic and the coins are generally of poor metal.  His coins are nearly always fairly debased, and only a few 'nice' specimens of the coinage survive in reasonable silver.  I have a single R10 coin of Wigraed that is typical of the issue.  My coin has been through an adventure, having nearly been thrown away years ago.  I wrote about this story on another coin discussion forum some time back.

Here's mine-

 

[Tony Abramson]

I very useful ananlysis of this named-moneyer type credibly arguing for Rendlesham as the source. Well done, Ype!

[JeandAcre]

Great Stuff!  To 'come clean,' my appreciation of the series began at a decidedly superficial level.  It's really remarkable how much content can be mined from these.

[Roerbakmix]

A new Wigraed, my fourth, just arrived today. It was covered in a thick layer of ironoxide and copper oxides, which I removed using both chemical (weak organic acids, sodium thiosulphate and neutralizing with natrium bicarb) - I'm not 100% finished, but for now it's fine (before and after photos):

It's a recent find from Eye, Suffolk, perfectly fitting the hypothesized minting location (new find added with star and arrow):

 

Runes can be difficult to read, so I've marked them red as before:

With the Runic WIGRAED fully written out, this sceatta either fals in group nr. 1, 2, 4 or 5 (in groups 3 and 6, the name is abbreviated as WIGRD).

As the tail of the runic AE (the rune looking like a capital F) is short, group, the coin is not a group 1 or 4, so this leaves us to group 2 and 5.

In group 5, the bust faces left, so our coin is an obverse group 2. The reverse is type 2 (see: https://www.r8sceattatypes.website/r_10_wigraed_aes.html)