Kingdom of Denmark, Hardecanute, Penning

At the beginning of the 11th century, Scandinavian kings began to mint "national" coins in their realms. Fort the time being, an economy actually based on money could only be established in Denmark, however; Norwegian and Swedish coins from the time before 1050 are extremely rare. Early Danish coinage was entirely under Anglo-Saxon influence. Canute established several mints in Denmark, in which Anglo-Saxon die cutters and mint masters struck coins modeled after Anglo-Saxon money. Coinage was resumed under Canute's successors. This penny (Danish: penning) was minted by Canute's son Hardecanute (1035-1042) in the mint of Lund, the most important mint in Denmark. The obverse shows Hardecanute's "portrait" – there is no resemblance, however, as this was no aim in medieval portraits.