Penning, Götaland, Sverker the Elder, circa 1130–1156
This coin probably dates from the time of Sverker the Elder, around 1150. It is puzzling to see a Christian symbol, a double cross, depicted on the coin instead of a royal symbol.
This coin was produced at the Lödöse mint, which was active from around 1150 to 1350. We know this because traces of minting in the form of leather underlays have been found during archaeological surveys.
Four coins with a double cross were found in a grave in Blidsberg, Västergötland, in 1956. There were also over 30 archbishop’s coins with a mitre (bishop’s hat) and crosier (a shepherd’s staff) and 67 Norwegian coins of an ecclesiastical nature. Who was buried there?
