A rare reproduction of a Carolingian gold coin, possibly worn as a pendant by a soldier in the Viking Great Army that invaded England in AD 865, has been discovered in Norfolk. Coins of this type were minted in workshops in Frisia (now part of the Netherlands) and all 22 of these imitation solidi found in Britain have been traced back to the Great Army route. A relatively high quality example is found in Norfolk.
The coin is a copy of the gold solidus of Charlemagne’s son Louis the Pious (r. 814-840), minted around 816 when he was crowned Holy Roman Empire. It is considered one of the finest and rarest of all Carolingian coins, with only four confirmed examples recorded. The draped and laureate bust of Louis on the obverse is inspired by ancient Roman issues, such as the 335 AD Solidus of Constantinople. The obverse inscription is DN HLVDOVVICVS IMP ΛVG (meaning “Our Lord Louis August Emperor” an Imperial Roman style); The reverse inscription is MVNVS DIVINVM (“divine gift”), referring to the wreath/crown or cross within it.
The Frisian imitation was made much later than the original. Most examples have been found in coin hoards from the 870s-880s, and are very crude with crude outline portrait busts and chicken scratch inscriptions with barely legible characters. Early examples found in hoards collected in the 840s and 850s are of particularly high quality. Norfolk Finds falls into the latter category.
It is worn, but you can see that the portrait sculpture captures Louis’ straight, long nose, laurel wreath, mustache and prominent chin. The inscription is also close to the original, reading “DNI HVVD [O] VS H IM AVG. The reverse is even closer to the inscription: “C MVNVS DIVINVM IS.” The redundant C and S are misinterpretations of the relationships on the original coin sheet.
The coin has a double hole at the top of the head, a larger hole with a smaller one at the bottom and a bit on the side. Those holes are at the four o’clock position on the reverse, indicating that it was worn with the viewer facing forward.
The coin pendant is currently undergoing the treasury process but due to its age and precious metal content, this is a foregone conclusion. Once it is declared treasure, Norwich Castle Museum is hoping to acquire it.
