Æthelred II (978-1016), Penny, Helmet type, Gothabyrig, Wulfmær, pvlfmær m'o goda, 1.16g/6h...

Æthelred II (978-1016), Penny, Helmet type, Gothabyrig, Wulfmær, pvlfmær m'o goda, 1.16g/6h (Doubleday 143, this coin; Dolley/Elmore Jones, BNJ XXVIII, no.5, same dies; BEH 1136; N 775; S 1152). Flan crack at 4 o'clock on obverse has been repaired, about very fine, extremely rare with a distinguished provenance £900-£1,200

Provenance
W.T. Ready Collection, Sotheby Auction, 15-19 November 1920, lot 124; G.C. Drabble Collection, Glendining Auction, 4-6 July 1939, lot 475; Duke of Argyll Collection; G.V. Doubleday Collection, Glendining Auction, 6 October 1987, lot 143; A Collection of Pennies of Æthelred II, the Property of a Gentleman, Spink Auction 212, 28-9 March 2012, lot 401; M. Lessen Collection, Part II, DNW Auction 159, 3 July 2019, lot 307.

Footnote
Following the work of Michael Dolley and Francis Elmore Jones in the 1950s Pennies with a Geothabyrig mint signature have been commonly associated with the prehistoric settlement at Castle Gotha, Cornwall. Rory Naismith has recently challenged this position and proposed a new attribution to the site of Oldaport in south-west Devon (BNJ 90, 93-100)