Conte collection of medieval coins

The richness and variety of English coinage during the two centuries following the Conquest is demonstrated by this remarkable collection of 750 Norman and Angevin coins, one of the finest ever assembled. It was formed by Dr William Conte, a leading authority on Norman coinage. The Norman Conquest had little immediate impact on the coinage of England. The coin designs - normally a portrait of the king on the obverse and an elaborate cross on the reverse - were subtly changed every few years, and people were expected to take their money to the mint to have it recoined into the new type. Henry II instituted two major monetary reforms - standardising the designs and concentrating production at a small number of 'factory mints' - and output rose dramatically.