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Mint: Canterbury; Reinald, moneyer.
Struck: Circa 1190-1194.
Obv: + hЄNRICVS R[ЄX]
Crowned facing head, holding scepter; long narrow portrait
with beard of small crescents, hair in three curs with no
pellets, crown with seven pearls.
Rev: + REINΛLD • ON • CΛ
Voided short cross; small pellet in center, quatrefoils in
quarters.
Mm: None.
Ref: SCBI 56 (Mass), 752 (same dies); North 967; SCBC 1347.
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Notes: Richard I, the romantic hero, warrior-king of England, was definitely a worthy wartime commander, but a very poor king. He spent
a total of six months in England during his ten-year reign, and saw his country as little more than a source of revenue to fund his exploits abroad. The son of Henry
II, he cared little for England, leaving its administration in the hands of people barely more capable. During his reign, rebel lords who were held in check by his
father reigned free in Wales and on the seas around Britain. Even his brother John, later his successor, attempted to oust him from the throne. His death in 1199
had practically no effect upon the kingdom, as he had been absent since 1194. Nevertheless, his exploits on crusade in Outremer were retold in a disproportionately
favorable light, which resulted in a wave of national pride, and elevated him to a status of cult-hero.
Although a careful study of the short-cross coinage has resulted in the ability to discern the kings under whom they were issued, there are still some issues that could
span more than one reign. However, the dating of this particular issue is fairly certan. J. P. Mass has determined with relative certainty that the Class IIab2 issue
has a beginning date of circa 1190, and certainly did not continue after 1194. This dating is reinforced for this Class IIab2 Canterbury coinage, as the mint had been
closed after the murder of Thomas Beckett during the reign of Henry II, and only reopened under Richard I.
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