The styca (; . ''stycas'') was a small coin minted in pre-
Viking
Vikings ; non, vÃkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and s ...
Northumbria
la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria
, common_name = Northumbria
, status = State
, status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...
, originally in base silver and subsequently in a copper alloy. Production began in the 790s and continued until the 850s, though the coin remained in circulation until the Viking conquest of Northumbria in 867.
Etymology
The coin's name derives from
Old English ''
styċċe'' , meaning "piece."
History
Stycas were first minted in the reign of
Æthelred I of Northumbria (790–796), replacing the earlier
sceat which ceased production in c. 790. They were initially made from a debased alloy of silver, and from c. 830 until c. 835 they were also minted in a copper alloy. Production switched over entirely to copper in c. 837 and lasted until c. 855. Production ceased at this time, though the coin remained in circulation until the
Viking
Vikings ; non, vÃkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and s ...
conquest of Northumbria in 867.
[ Cook, Williams, and Archibald, p. 214] Stycas were unique to Northumbria; from the late eighth century onwards the other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms minted only silver pennies based on the
Frankish denier. The vast number of copper stycas which are known to exist indicates that production from the 830s onwards was both intensive and constant. The large quantity of stycas produced, combined with the fact that large numbers of stycas are clearly of unofficial creation, might suggest a reason as to why production was halted in the reign of
Osberht of Northumbria.
Design
With a few exceptions, the various issues of stycas share a common design standard. Typically the name of the issuing king (or archbishop) appears on one side surrounding a central motif, and the name of the moneyer who made the coin appears on the other side. Common central motifs include simple cruciform designs and rings of annulets. Exceptions include those stycas made by the moneyer Leofdegn during the reign of
Æthelred II of Northumbria. These stycas feature much more elaborate designs including complex central cruciform devices and one issue in particular features both a hound and a
triquetra on the same side.
[ Spink, pp. 103–105]
Hoards
Hoards that consist of stycas, or where stycas are part of the assemblage, include:
*
Hexham Hoard
*
Kirkoswald Hoard
*
St Leonard's Place hoard
*
Talnotrie Hoard
See also
*
Elizabeth Pirie
*
Wigmund (archbishop of York)
References
Bibliography
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*
*
{{Coins of England
Anglo-Saxon money
Numismatics
Silver coins
Copper coins