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.
Provenance
Collection formed by Dr Conte between 1975 and 2000.