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Primary sourceArtifact1218-22

Silver penny of Henry III, short cross class 7a, moneyer Terri

1218-22

A silver short cross penny of Henry III, issued by the London moneyer Terri and dated 1218 to 1222. The coin has a neat piercing near its edge.

This coin was struck during the reign of Henry III, the king who reissued Magna Carta, and was made by a named London moneyer.

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Two views of a pierced silver medieval coin on a white background with a blue scale ruler above. Left side (obverse): worn legend around a central cross with pellets. Right side (reverse): worn legend around a central cross with a small hole near the top edge.
Silver penny of Henry III, short cross class 7a, moneyer Terri, 1218-22. Photograph by Adrian Marsden, Wikimedia Commons.

About this source

What it is

This is a photograph of a silver penny of Henry III of the short cross class 7a. The coin was struck by the moneyer Terri of London and is dated 1218 to 1222. It weighs 1.19 grams, has two pellets at irregular points in its reverse legend, and has a neat piercing near the edge at 7 o'clock on the obverse. The photograph was taken by Adrian Marsden and shared on Wikimedia Commons. The coin itself is not held in this archive.

Why it matters

Moneyers were the people who struck coins for the king, and naming them on coins shows who was responsible for the money. Henry III was the king who reissued Magna Carta, and his pennies were in circulation during his reign. A coin like this links the names of local craftsmen to the royal government and to the everyday trade of London.

Look closer

  • What can the name of the moneyer tell you about who made this coin?
  • Why might someone have pierced a coin, and what does the hole suggest about its later use?
  • What does a single coin leave out about the people who handled money in London?

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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