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Primary sourceArtifact1199-1216

Cut halfpenny of King John, London mint

1199-1216

A medieval silver halfpenny cut from a full penny, minted in London during the reign of King John. Its obverse shows a bust of the king.

A London coin of King John's reign, the king who agreed Magna Carta in 1215, showing the money of his government.

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Close-up photo of a silver, half-moon shaped medieval coin, a cut halfpenny, on a white card beside a centimetre scale. Its worn surface shows partial faint lettering and a small central design. The straight cut edge runs along the bottom.
Medieval hammered short cross cut halfpenny of John, minted in London, 1199-1216. Photograph by The Portable Antiquities Scheme.

About this source

What it is

This is a medieval hammered silver halfpenny, cut from a penny, minted in London between 1199 and 1216. The record shows a photograph of its obverse on a white card beside a centimetre scale. Partial lettering and a bust with a sceptre in the right hand are still partly visible. The coin is recorded as a short cross type, class 5b/c, and was minted by a moneyer named Rener.

Why it matters

Magna Carta was agreed in 1215 during the reign of King John, and coins like this one were the king's money in daily use. Cutting a penny in half was a practical way to make small change when coins were scarce, so the coin shows how ordinary trade worked in John's England. Its image of the king connects the royal government that the barons confronted to the charter they forced on him.

Look closer

  • What features of the king can you make out on the obverse, and which are lost to wear?
  • Why might someone have cut a penny into halves, and what does that suggest about money?
  • What does this coin not tell us about how John governed England?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Magna Carta on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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