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Primary sourceArtifact1216-1272

Long cross penny of Henry III, Canterbury

1216-1272

A silver long cross penny of Henry III, minted at Canterbury between 1216 and 1272. It shows the coinage of the king who confirmed Magna Carta.

A silver penny of Henry III, the king who confirmed Magna Carta, showing the royal coinage of his reign.

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Two sides of a silver long cross penny. Obverse: a crowned facing bust of a king holding a sceptre, with a legend around the edge. Reverse: a long cross extending to the edges, with pellet clusters in each quarter and a legend around the rim. Worn, grey-silver coin on a plain background.
Long cross penny of Henry III, Canterbury mint, 1216-1272. Numisantica.

About this source

What it is

This is a silver long cross penny of Henry III, minted at the Canterbury mint. The obverse shows a crowned, facing bust of the king holding a sceptre, with the legend HENRICVS REX III. The reverse shows a long voided cross with pellets in each angle and the legend ION ON CAN TER, which names the moneyer and the mint. The coin was shared by a numismatic dealer, Numisantica, and the photograph shows a worn, grey-silver coin.

Why it matters

Henry III was the king who confirmed the Magna Carta first agreed in 1215 by King John. Coins were a daily link between the king and his subjects, and their legends named the king and the mint. The long cross design was used across the reign, so coins like this help students see how royal authority appeared in ordinary money.

Look closer

  • What does the legend around the king's head tell you about who the coin belongs to?
  • Why might the mint name appear on the reverse?
  • What information about the coin's history is missing from a dealer's description?

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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