Series B1b 'Bird on Cross' Sceatta
Silver, 1.02 grams; 12.60 mm. Circa 680-710 AD. Obverse: diademed bust right with shoulder and drapery of pellets breaking inner circle, AMVII around. Reverse: bird on cross with large annulet on each side within serpent border; three pellets below and VAMVANAV around. Recorded with the Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge University as: EMC 2008.0446. M. 100; S. 777a. Extremely fine. Found Cambridge.
Anna Gannon author of The Iconography of Early Anglo Saxon Coinage writes: "Whilst gold coinage, following Merovingian numismatic prototypes had crosses as reverses, the Primary coins of Series B introduced birds into this iconography. Birds will indeed dominate amongst the reverses of the whole of the early Anglo Saxon coinage, and their importance can be understood in a Christian context."