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Primary sourceArtifactbetween 1251 and 1272

Voided long cross silver penny of Henry III

Nicole (moneyer) · between 1251 and 1272

A silver penny of Henry III from Canterbury, dated between 1251 and 1272, shown front and back. It shows the coinage of the king who confirmed Magna Carta.

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

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Photograph of a silver medieval penny shown front and back on a white background with a metric scale bar. Front: a crowned bearded face in profile-style facing portrait with a voided long cross design around it. Back: a long cross dividing the coin into four quarters with pellets and lettering around the edge.
Voided long cross penny of Henry III, Canterbury, class 5b, 1251-1272. Portable Antiquities Scheme.

About this source

What it is

This is a silver penny of Henry III, minted at Canterbury and classed as type 5b. The facts date it between 1251 and 1272, and name the moneyer as Nicole. The record is a photograph of the coin's front and back on a white background, with a metric scale bar. It is held in the Portable Antiquities Scheme's record of finds.

Why it matters

Henry III reigned for most of the thirteenth century and confirmed the Magna Carta first agreed in 1215 by his father, King John. Penny coins like this one were used across the kingdom, and their different types help historians date finds and compare minting places. The coin shows the royal image and the cross design that Henry's government used on its money.

Look closer

  • What features of the king's face and crown can you see on the front?
  • How does the cross design on the back divide the coin, and why might that have mattered?
  • What can a photograph of a coin show, and what can it not show about how the coin was used?

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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