Lead, 10.46 grams; 18.68 mm. Circa 8th-10th century AD. A disc of lead with a dished top, with an Anglo-Saxon coin embedded in the upper surface. The coin is a styca of King Æþelræd II as confirmed by the visible portion of the legend. The piece may have been a merchant’s weight or more probably the hnefi or ‘king-piece’ from the game hnefatafl.
Reference: Biggs, N. & Withers, P. Lead Weights and Pollington, S. Mead Hall – Feasting in Anglo-Saxon England, Hockwold-cum-Wilton, 2003, p.136, 220.. Extremely fine condition, and extremely rare. Ex K Derby collection.