Skänninge hoard, Skänninge parish, Östergötland, deposited circa 1190
Not long after the death of King Knut Eriksson in 1196, a 20-year-old man was buried in Skänninge, Östergötland. The man in the grave may have been a wealthy person from the neighbouring grand manor. Maybe a money changer.
Next to the man's right thigh, 96 coins from Gotland had been placed. They were neatly arranged, almost piled up, which suggests that they had been placed in a purse or similar that had not been preserved. The coins had been minted in Visby between 1140 and 1200.
At this time, there were three economic areas with different coinage in Sweden. In Östergötland, Gotland money was used. 1½ penning from Gotland = 1 penning from Svealand = 2 penningar from Västra Götaland.
A total of 130 Svealand whole and halved silver coins issued during Knut's time and 96 Gotland coins were found in the grave. The grave was discovered during an archaeological investigation in 2009.
