Æthelred II English halfpenny, Crux type

Early medieval English pennies are very rare in Silesia and completely sporadic in assemblages dating to the 10th century. A coin from the hoard from the vicinity of Małkowice is only the second identified English specimen in the Silesian 10th century hoard. In Poland, coins of King Æthelred II (978–1016) are among those more commonly found, especially type C (Crux). During his long reign, this ruler issued millions of coins at many mints located throughout England. Their relatively numerous occurrence on Polish territory is linked to the so-called “Danegeld”, a monetary tribute forced on King Æthelred by the Danish Vikings. The first consignment of silver arrived in Denmark in 991 and amounted to 10,000 pounds of silver bullion. The English pence found in early medieval treasures in Poland is probably linked to trade contacts with Denmark.