Medieval Great Britain Henry III Long Cross Penny 1216 to 1272

These old English coins have got to be some of the coolest. They have that proper medieval look, with crude Latin lettering and a very simplified facing bust of the king. The mint and the moneyer's name are often found on the coin - the one in our picture was struck at the Bristol mint by moneyer James LaWarre. The obverse reads 'HENRICVS REX III' while the reverse (the side with the cross) reads 'IACOB ON BRVST'. James is the English form of the name Iacob, while BRVST is the abbreviated Latin form of Bristol.

There are many varieties of these coins. They are separated by coin catalogs into classes based on the style of the cross and the placement of small decorative symbols such as pellets, hooks and trefoils, crosses, annulets, dots etc. The exact intricacies of these different issues are beyond the scope of this page. You can see a few more examples for later long cross pennies at this CoinQuest link [Press Here].

worn: $35 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $180
well preserved: $500

Minor edge flaws are common with these coins. A completely round coin is the exception rather than the rule. The thin silver would often split by the edge at the strike of the hammer if the flan wasn't completely flat. Most collectors are willing to overlook minor flan flaws, but serious cracks, holes and damage will reduce the value drastically.

Please see our Important Terminology page at the top left in order to properly interpret the catalog values used on this page.
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