Viking coin, hack silver hoard found on Man

 The group of 87 coins and 13 pieces of cut up silver arm-rings were discovered in April on Man, a large island in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland, and famous today mainly for its insane motorcycle race.

The coins were minted between around 990 and 1030 A.D. in England, Dublin, Germany and the Isle of Man. Most of them are silver pennies and bear the faces of King Cnut of England, Denmark and Norway, King Aethelred II of England and Holy Roman Emperor Otto I. The coins struck in Dublin and Man bear the image of King Sigtrygg Silkbeard, the Hiberno-Norse King of Dublin from the 990s until his abdication in 1036. The dates of the coins indicate the hoard was deposited around 1035 A.D., so right at the end of Silkbeard’s reign and in the waning decades of Viking Age hoard depositions on the Isle of Man.

As can be seen in this photo, some of the coins have a "long cross" on the back, which allowed the coins to be accurately cut into halves or quarters to make change.

The new hoard might be compared to a wallet containing all kinds of credit cards, notes and coins, perhaps of different nationalities, such as when you prepare to travel overseas, and shows the variety of currencies available to an Irish Sea trader or inhabitant of Man in this period.

Many of the coins are of a type known as “Hiberno-Manx”.  These are the earliest (so far) recorded coins that were minted in the Isle of Man.  It is generally accepted that these coins were made using one coin die (or a set) that had originated in Dublin, but had been brought to the Isle of Man sometime around AD 1025.  The die(s) degraded over time and by around AD 1065, production of the Manx coinage had ceased.

                                      The Flag of the Isle of Man

Via the always good History Blog.