How to Identify Hammered Coins: A Basic Guide
Finding a hammered coin is one of the most exciting moments in metal detecting. They are small, often thin, rarely perfectly round and can be incredibly difficult to read, but they offer a direct link to the people, places and trade of the past.
At first glance, a worn hammered coin can look almost impossible to identify. The portrait may be faint, the lettering may be missing, and the edge may have been clipped. However, with a little patience and a few key things to look for, you can usually start narrowing it down.
The main aim is to work out three things: who issued it, what denomination it is, and where it was struck.
What Is a Hammered Coin?
Hammered coins were made by placing a blank piece of metal, known as a flan, between two engraved dies. The upper die was then struck by hand with a hammer, pressing the design into both sides of the coin.
Because this was done by hand, hammered coins are often irregular. They may be off-centre, slightly oval, weakly struck or uneven around the edges. This does not always mean the coin is badly damaged. In many cases, it is simply the result of the way it was made.
Some coins were also struck in a hurry or on poor-quality flans, which is why certain types can look crude even when they have survived well.
Start with the Inscription
The inscription, also known as the legend, is one of the most useful parts of a hammered coin. It can help identify the ruler, the mint, the moneyer and sometimes the denomination.
The problem is that inscriptions are not always easy to read. Letters may be weak, worn, clipped from the edge or partly off the flan. Some medieval letters also look very different to modern ones, and certain letters were often joined together, which can make two letters look like one strange symbol.
It is worth looking for small sections rather than trying to read the whole thing straight away.
Common words and abbreviations include:
HENRIC – Henry
EDWARD – Edward
RICARD – Richard
CAROLUS – Charles
ELIZABETH – Elizabeth
REX – King
REGINA – Queen
ANGL or ANGLO – England or English
You may only have two or three clear letters, but that can still be enough to point you in the right direction.
By comparing the two images, you can see how faded the letters can be, with some only decipherable by knowing what to expect. This leaves you with a coin that says ‘CNUT REX ANGLO’ on the obverse. This is Latin and translates simply as ‘Cnut, King of England’. This helps to immediately identify the ruler on the coin – King Cnut, an Anglo-Saxon King who ruled from 1017 – 1035.
Look at the Portrait
Most English hammered coins show the ruler on the obverse, which is usually the front of the coin. The portrait can be very simple, especially on earlier medieval coins, but it can still provide useful clues.
Look at:
The style of the crown
Whether the bust faces forward or sideways
The shape of the face
Hair or beard details
The clothing or armour
The general style of the artwork
Earlier medieval coins often show a forward-facing bust, while later hammered coins can have more detailed portraits and shields. If the inscription is too worn to read, the bust style may at least help narrow the coin down to a rough period.
Check the Reverse Design
The reverse is just as important as the portrait side. Many hammered coins can be narrowed down by looking at the cross, shield or symbols on the back.
A common example is the medieval penny. These often feature a cross on the reverse, sometimes with pellets in the quarters. The style of the cross can be a major clue.
Two important types to recognise are:
Short Cross Pennies
Short Cross pennies were introduced in the reign of Henry II and continued through the reigns of Richard I, John and Henry III. One of the confusing things about these coins is that they continued to use the legend HENRICVS REX, even when the actual king was Richard or John.
This means you cannot always rely on the king’s name alone. Short Cross pennies are divided into classes, and those classes are identified by small differences in the portrait, lettering and design.
The reverse has a short cross, which does not extend all the way to the edge of the coin.
Long Cross Pennies
By the 1240s, clipping had become a serious problem. People would cut small amounts of silver from the edge of coins, reducing their weight while still passing them off as full coins.
The Long Cross design was introduced in 1247 under Henry III. The cross extended right to the edge of the coin, making clipping much easier to spot. If someone cut silver from the edge, they would also cut into the cross.
Voided Long Cross pennies usually show a crowned facing bust on the obverse and a long voided cross on the reverse, often with three pellets in each quarter.
If you find a hammered penny with a long cross reaching the edge, this is one of the first things to check.
Look for the Mint
The mint tells you where the coin was struck. On many hammered coins, especially earlier pennies, the reverse inscription includes the mint town.
Common English mints include:
London
Canterbury
York
Durham
Lincoln
Bristol
Exeter
Norwich
Winchester
Gloucester
The spelling may not look modern. For example, London can appear as LVND, while other mint names may be shortened or written in older forms.
Finding the mint can make identification much easier, especially when combined with the ruler and coin type.
Look for CIVITAS and VILLA on the Reverse
The reverse inscription can also tell you whether the coin was struck in a city or town. Two useful words to look out for are CIVITAS and VILLA.
CIVITAS means city and is often followed by the name of the mint city. For example, you may see inscriptions such as CIVITAS LONDON, showing the coin was struck in London.
VILLA means town and can appear before the name of a mint town. This can help confirm where the coin was produced, especially when only part of the mint name is visible.
These words are usually found on the reverse of the coin, around the outer legend. They are particularly helpful because even if the ruler’s portrait is worn, the reverse inscription may still give away the mint location.
If you can make out CIVITAS, VILLA, or even just part of either word, it is worth checking the remaining letters nearby. They may lead you directly to the mint, which is one of the key details needed when identifying a hammered coin.
Find the Initial Mark
Initial marks are small symbols used on many hammered coins. These are often found at the beginning of the inscription and can help date a coin more accurately.
Examples include:
Cross
Rose
Sun
Lis
Tun
Martlet
Pheon
These marks changed over time, especially on later hammered coinage, and can sometimes narrow a coin down to a much smaller date range within a monarch’s reign.
They can be tiny, worn or partly off the edge of the coin, so it is worth checking with good light and magnification.
Look for the Moneyer
Some hammered coins also name the moneyer. The moneyer was the person responsible for producing the coin, or connected to the mint where it was struck.
You may see wording such as:
ON LVND – of London
ON CANT – of Canterbury
ON GLEW – of Gloucester
This can be one of the most useful parts of the coin, but it is also one of the trickiest to read. If you can make out the moneyer and mint, you may be able to narrow the coin down very accurately.
Watch Out for Medieval Lettering
Reading hammered coins takes practice because the lettering can be unfamiliar. Some letters do not look the way we expect today.
A few things to remember:
I and J were not always separate letters
U and V were often represented by the same letter
Letters can be joined together
Some letters may be weakly struck
Some may be partly missing from the flan
N, H, V and A can be easy to confuse
This is why it helps to compare your coin with known examples rather than trying to read it like modern text.
Look for Denomination Marks
Some hammered coins also carry a value mark, often shown as Roman numerals. These marks can be a very useful shortcut when identifying the denomination.
For example, VI represents six pence, meaning the coin is a sixpence. Other value marks may include II for twopence or half groat, III for threepence, IIII or IV for fourpence or groat, and XII for twelve pence, which is a shilling.
These denomination marks are most often seen on later hammered coinage, particularly Tudor and Stuart silver issues. They may appear beside the portrait, behind the bust, or within the design depending on the monarch and coin type.
However, not every hammered coin has a clear value mark. Earlier medieval coins, such as pennies, halfpennies and farthings, often need to be identified by size, weight, design, inscription and mint details instead.
As a rough guide, medieval silver pennies are often around 18mm and around 1.3g to 1.5g when complete, although this can vary depending on the type and condition. Smaller coins may be halfpennies or farthings, while larger silver hammered coins may be groats, half groats, sixpences or shillings.
Do not rely on weight alone. Many hammered coins have been clipped, worn, bent or damaged, so they may be lighter than they were when first struck.
Check for Clipping
Clipping is very common on hammered silver coins. Because the coin itself contained precious metal, small pieces were sometimes cut from the edges.
Signs of clipping include:
Missing outer lettering
A smaller-than-expected flan
A very neat but reduced edge
Low weight
A cross or design that appears cut short
The introduction of the Long Cross design was partly intended to make clipping more obvious. If the cross ran to the edge, any trimming would be much easier to detect.
Could It Be Scottish?
Not every hammered coin found in England is English. Scottish hammered coins are also found, particularly in northern England but not exclusively.
One useful clue is the reverse design. Some Scottish issues feature stars or mullets in the quarters of the reverse. The number of points and their arrangement can sometimes help identify the period or mint.
If the coin does not seem to match English examples, it is worth checking Scottish hammered coinage as well.
Photograph the Coin Properly
Clear photographs make identification much easier, especially if you are asking for help online.
For best results:
Photograph both sides
Use natural, indirect light
Avoid harsh flash
Keep the camera directly above the coin
Take a second photo with light from the side
Include a ruler or scale
Add the weight and diameter when asking for help
Sometimes a detail that is hard to see in hand becomes clearer in a photo, especially when the light catches the lettering at a different angle.
Be Careful with Cleaning
It can be tempting to clean a hammered coin straight away, especially when there is soil covering the detail. Be careful.
Avoid:
Wire brushes
Metal polish
Abrasive pads
Strong chemicals
Over-rubbing the surface
A gentle rinse in clean water may be enough to remove loose soil, but if the coin looks fragile, leave it alone until you have had advice. The surface of a hammered coin can be delicate, and once detail is removed, it cannot be put back.
Use Reliable References
Once you have gathered the basics, compare your coin with trusted references.
Useful resources include:
The Portable Antiquities Scheme database
Spink’s Coins of England and the United Kingdom
Specialist hammered coin books
Museum records
Numismatic websites
Experienced identification groups
When using online groups, include both sides of the coin, the weight, diameter and a rough location if you are comfortable sharing it. The more information you provide, the better the identification is likely to be.
Should You Record It?
If you find a hammered coin, it is worth considering recording it with your local Finds Liaison Officer. Even a small silver penny can add useful information about local history, settlement, trade and land use.
Some finds may also need to be reported depending on their age, metal content and circumstances. If you are unsure, ask your local FLO for guidance.
Final Thoughts
Identifying hammered coins is part patience, part observation and part research. Start with what you can see: the inscription, portrait, reverse design, mint, moneyer, weight and size.
You may not get a full identification straight away, especially if the coin is clipped or worn, but every visible letter and symbol is a clue.
The more hammered coins you study, the easier it becomes to recognise the patterns. Before long, a worn little silver coin becomes much more than just a find. It becomes a piece of history you can read.