Is this an authentic Saxon coin, and if so which king?

[benster118]

Hi folks 

 

found this online and it looks to be genuine but I find most Saxon coins to be of a lighter grey than this one and I can’t find out online which king it is supposed to depict, also looks a little too well struck to me, however I might be wrong.

since it’s online I can’t get the weight or size unfortunately 

[John Conduitt]

It's meant to be Ceolwulf II but it's not genuine. You won't get one of these for less than £10,000. I wouldn't buy any Saxon penny on eBay.

[ela126]

5 years ago, just as I was getting into Medieval and ancients, I thought I found a magic source on eBay, Serbia specifically, that no else knew about. A tough to find Harold II and a few others.

Sadly, I discovered these Saxon coins were minted in Serbia, about 3 weeks before going on EBay.

As has been said, stay away.

[John Conduitt]

For Saxon pennies like this (not sceattas), you're almost never going to have them found outside England and all should either be recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme or have a verifiable provenance to an old reputable auction or collection. There are a few rulers where this won't necessarily be the case (such as Burgred and the more common Offa pennies) but otherwise it's a risky purchase.

In fact, I would very rarely buy a sceatta or styca from eBay and I know what they should look like.

Edited September 7, 2024 by John Conduitt

[Gordon Grant]

Not genuine unfortunately.