Coins of the Viking Age
I was fortunate enough to tour the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Denmark earlier this year. I brought back some pamphlets and photos that I am going to share as an Arts and Sciences project in my local community. I’m already working on creating replicas of the coins found in the museum to share with friends, and if you’re reading this post it probably means that you’ve already seen one!
I put together this document explaining the history of each coin and translations of the inscriptions. I plan on making the 3D models for each coin available online soon for others to enjoy, but for now if you want to have one of your own, you’ll have to find me while I’m handing them out at Pennsic!
Coins of
the Viking Age
Hedeby Halfpenny
Viking ship · Charlemagne’s Dorestad type
A halfpenny from the year 825, most likely minted in Hedeby, at that time part of Denmark. One side depicts a Viking ship; the reverse is a copy of Charlemagne’s Dorestad coin.
Hybrid Halfpenny
Hedeby trading ship & an English penny of King Anlaf
A hybrid coin created from a halfpenny dated to 825, made in Hedeby (at that time Denmark). One side depicts a Viking trading ship; the other is an English penny of the years 939–944, showing a bird / body motif.
Hedeby Halfpenny
A copy of a Frisian sceatta · mask & deer
A halfpenny from 825–850, most likely minted in Hedeby (at that time Denmark). It copies a Frisian sceatta. On the obverse, a mask within a circle surrounded by four small heads; on the reverse, a deer with a serpent beneath it.
Sigtuna Penny
Struck for Olof Skötkonung
Minted in Sigtuna for Olof Skötkonung between 995 and 1005. On the side bearing the cross appears the inscription C·R·V·X, meaning “cross.”
York Penny
Struck for the Irish Viking king Sihtric
A penny from York, England, made for the Irish Viking king Sihtric (from 921). The obverse is decorated with a sword; on the reverse, Thor’s hammer is depicted, surrounded by an illegible inscription.
Ribe-Type Coin, Munkebo
Wodan / Odin & animal ornament
Found at Munkebo on Funen in 2015 and dated to the beginning of the 9th century — the first so-called Ribe coin found on Funen. One side shows Wodan / Odin; the other, an animal in the ornamental style typical of coins of the period.
Half Bracteate, Cross Type
Attributed to Harald Bluetooth
A half bracteate of the cross type, believed struck by Harald Bluetooth in Hedeby between 975 and 985 — among the oldest Danish coins with a Christian motif. One side shows a cross; on the other, arches can only faintly be discerned on surviving finds.
Sources & Acknowledgements
Original pamphlet issued by The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde (Vikingeskibsmuseet), Denmark · vikingeskibsmuseet.dk
The descriptions and photographs reproduced here are drawn from that pamphlet, translated from the Danish by AsaNordic.dk and historiske-ting.dk.
Sources: myntsamleren.no, natmus.dk, and The Viking World by James Graham-Campbell.
Text and photography © Historiske-ting / Asanordic. Reproduced here for study and display.
Catalogue design, plates & typesetting
The Gutenberg Armory
