History of the English penny (c. 600 – 1066)
The history of the English penny can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of the 7th century: to the small, thick silver coins known to contemporaries as pæningas or denarii, though now often referred to as sceattas by numismatists. Broader, thinner pennies inscribed with the name of the king were introduced to Southern England in the middle of the 8th century. Coins of this format remained the foundation of the English currency until the 14th century.
Silver coin of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex from 871 to 899.
Wigmund solidus
Image: Solidus Valentinian II trier RIC 090a
Image: Eadbaldobv.1
The English penny, originally a coin of 1.3 to 1.5 grams pure silver, was introduced c. 785 by King Offa of Mercia. These coins were similar in size and weight to the continental deniers of the period and to the Anglo-Saxon sceats which had preceded it.
Silver 'reform' penny of Edgar I of England, Lewes mint, c. 973–975.