Penning, Sigtuna, Olof Skötkonung, circa 995–1000
In Sigtuna, coins were minted by a number of mintmasters who supervised the work in the coin workshop. Some of them came from England. The profession had high status there, and the mintmasters were well paid. They were educated and knew how to read, write and count.
The English mintmasters used the Latin alphabet, and the inscriptions on their coins were quite easy to read. Names found on both English and Swedish coins include Godwine, Snelling, Ulfcetel, Ulah, Sweine and Thormoth.
But the English mintmasters were unlikely to have stayed in Sigtuna for long. Local craftsmen took over from them, but they seem to have been less familiar with Latin letters. The inscriptions on the coins became increasingly blurred, and often included words that were entirely made up.
)Object number: 100039_KMK
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