Cut Half Penny

Hello could anybody help me by identifying this coin.
Cheers

Please post a photo of the other side.

Hi I'm just after the ruler/approx date.

This is an English hammered penny. The difficult part is to identify the ruler. The first part of the name is HEN. OK, that is Henry. But which Henry, or perhaps which non-Henry is represented here? Some of the non-Henrys continued to use the name Henry on the coins.

The scepter in the right hand helps narrow this to the Plantagenet kings. Now we are down to:
Henry II
Richard I
John
Henry III

The reverse side shows what is called the short cross variety – the cross does not extend to the edge of the coin. The cross is made using parallel lines with four connected dots in each quadrant. This confirms the coin is from one of the four kings listed above.

Now the challenge is that the differences are in the bust, the curls of the hair, the lettering etc. The crown is composed of seven pearls. Of the eight classes of coins, only classes 3 and 4 are listed as having seven pearls. Class 3 was issued by Richard III and Class 4 by John.

The mint is partially visible: ON LVN. The top part of the L is cut off, so it looks like an H. This is the London mint. The moneyer’s name ends just before the ON LVN with an E. Out of about forty three names used on the short cross coinage at the London mint, four end in E. One was active during the reign of Richard III and three during the reign of John.

The king was either Richard I (1189-1199) or John {1199-1216). Perhaps someone can narrow this to one of these two kings.

Using a more recent reference, I found that newer research limits the 7 pearls in the crown to Richard I (classes 3 and 4a and 4b). Class 4c has just 5 pearls and was issued by John.

Cheers for your responses. I was suprized by the complex nature of attribution. Do you have any relevant books to recommend on the subject?

Probably the most accessible is Spink's Standard Catalogue of British Coins: Coins of England and the United Kingdom. The latest is the 54th edition for 2019.
The first book I used was from 1980 - JJ North's English Hammered Coinage (2 vol.). It has been updated once since then (around 1994).

Here's a couple of shots of the Richard I listings from my 2017 Spink:





Based on what I've seen from your images and the execllent detective work by numisquare, it looks as if you're coin would have been Class 4a, Sp#1348B, before it was cut in two, that is! In the first shot, you can see an image of 1348A, which should be the same as yours.

Cheers guys you've all been very helpful. Just on last question.
For those on a tight budget and little to no experience of hammered coins would you recommend collecting cut coins or do you think it is best for one to wait until they can afford to but the full coin?

Quote: "radrick007"​Here's a couple of shots of the Richard I listings from my 2017 Spink:
​
​
​
​
​
​Based on what I've seen from your images and the execllent detective work by numisquare, it looks as if you're coin would have been Class 4a, Sp#1348B, before it was cut in two, that is! In the first shot, you can see an image of 1348A, which should be the same as yours.

​Good insights!!!