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9th Century Coin Mystifies Experts with St. John Image
5 Apr
Summary
- A 9th Century gold coin pendant depicting St. John the Baptist was found.
- The coin's imagery is highly unusual for the Carolingian period.
- Experts find the discovery intriguing due to its unique and unexplained nature.
An extraordinary 9th Century gold coin pendant, uniquely depicting St. John the Baptist, has been discovered near Dunton in Norfolk. This rare artifact, an incomplete pierced imitation solidus, has puzzled numismatists due to its unusual iconography for the Carolingian period.
Simon Coupland, a numismatist specializing in the Carolingian dynasty, expressed astonishment, stating the pendant is "bizarre - it's not like anything else I know." He dated the coin to the late 9th Century based on its lettering style, similar to coins minted in the 860s or 870s. The inscription, partially legible as IOAN and + BABTIS [...]T EVVAN, translates to "John, Baptist and Evangelist."
The depiction of St. John the Baptist on a Western European portrait coin from this era is highly anomalous. Typically, such coins featured kings, not religious figures, a practice more common in the Byzantine Empire. The fact that these imitation gold solidi were often made by non-Christian Scandinavians further deepens the mystery surrounding why they would depict John the Baptist.
This find is particularly significant given the historical context of the region; the kingdom of East Anglia had been conquered by Vikings around AD 870. The coin is currently undergoing the treasure process, with Norwich Castle Museum hoping to acquire this unique piece of history.
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