Gold, 1.16 grams, 12.21 mm. Post-Crondall Type; circa 655 to 675 AD. Two Emperors Type inspired by a Roman prototype. Obverse: Bust of the king right, wearing a pearled diadem and cuirass indicated by dots, with XIVI, a pseudo legend to the right within beaded border. Reverse: Bust of a stylized Victory/angel with wings, enfolding two facing heads of two busts. The reverse and general style derived from a Roman prototype. A shortage of gold throughout Europe led to a gradual debasement of Thrymsas from about the middle of the seventh century resulting in the gold Tremisis eventually developing into the silver penny ("Sceat"). The most popular of these later pale gold coins were copied from a late 4th century solidus with Victory between two enthroned emperors. These were probably struck in Kent between 650 and 660 A.D. It is thought that tremisses (commonly called "thrymsas" in England) were in fact shillings of the Anglo-Saxon law and were used more for the payment of compositions and fines rather than ordinary currency. JJ North states: "They are extremely rare and very few specimens are available to collectors." There are twelve coins of this type on the Early Medieval Corpus at the Fitzwilliam Museum [EMC]. Reference: D. M. Metcalf Thrymsas and Sceattas, Volume 1, page 46, for discussion of this series. S. 767; M. 79-80 (different dies); N. 20. Slightly off centre and small flan, otherwise good very fine and an excellent example from an early period in English coinage.

Dr Anna Gannon, author of The Iconography of Early Anglo-Saxon Coinage writes: "On account of the smaller flans of our coins compared to the Roman prototype, the iconography had to be focused on the detail of the three heads only. These are modelled, while the rest of the composition is linear and the haloes, rather than encircling the heads, stop with horizontal traits at the side, and minute pellets, also used to suggest the feathers on the wing, indicate the hair. The drapery is economically rendered, but respects the difference in the fall of folds. The struts on the throne are prominent, as is the orb, symmetrically held by skeletal hands. The general impression is of balanced elegance."