England's Edward I Reign 1279-1307 Known as Long Shanks

This is a great example of the hammered coins from England in this era; we have additional hammered coins in this sale.

Like so many coins begining with ancient Roman coins from before the time of Christ up through the late Medieval era were discovered while someone was digging in the countryside on their property. The news has had stories for years of someone finding a cache of ancient coins, typically buried in a piece of pottery. Of course many were found at known historic sites, loose as a single coin or group of coins.

Long Shanks was one English ruler probably better known than most, due primarily to the Mel Gibson movie Brave Heart. While much of the film was created with only a hint of reality, the characters were real, including Long Shanks; the Scottish rebel William Wallace; and the Scottish king, Robert the Bruce.

I knew in watching the film that Edward was "the bad guy" and I didn't think much of his nickname but assumed it was a negative. In fact, he was given the moniker while king because of his unusual height and thus his long legs or shanks. Pretty simple.

This coin is in an NGC holder.