Witmen Tremissis: Bust and Trident (obverse); Cross Fourchée (Cleveland Museum of Art 1969.159)
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
early 600s
The Crondall Hoard is a hoard of coins that was found in 1828 in the village of Crondall in the English county of Hampshire. It is believed to date to the seventh century and was studied by Dr.
Carol Humphrey Vivian Sutherland (1908-1986), an English numismatist. He characterized this coin as being a close copy of the Witmen prototype, the most common type found in the hoard. Witmen, or his design, featuring a bust on one side and a cross on the other, seems to have been very popular and remained popular for many years. During this time however the portraits grew cruder and cruder, the legends became even more blundered, and the gold content fell lower and lower.
Cleveland Museum of Art object 1969.159: Witmen Tremissis: Bust and Trident (obverse); Cross Fourchée (reverse), early 600s. England, Anglo-Saxon, early 7th century. Gold; diameter: 1.1 cm (7/16 in.). Inscribed: WITMEN MONITA (Witmen the Moneyer). Details are those of this museum object; how far it represents a wider type has not been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 3
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
The tremissis was a small solid gold coin of late antiquity and was a third of a solidus.
Physical characteristics
- Materials
- gold
- Dimensions
- Diameter: 1.1 cm (7/16 in.)
- Measurements
- Diameter: 1.1 cm (7/16 in.)
- Material and technique
- gold
Design
- Inscription
- WITMEN MONITA (Witmen the Moneyer)
Identification
- Date recorded
- early 600s
- Culture period
- England, Anglo-Saxon, early 7th century
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Museum object number
- 1969.159
- Published references
- Cleveland Museum of Art, and Emery May Norweb. English Gold Coins, Ancient to Modern Times, On Loan to the Cleveland Museum of Art from the Norweb Collection . [Catalog. 1968. p. 18
- Museum classification
- Coins
Documentation checklist
- Denomination
- Research required
- Issue or mint date
- Recorded
- Material
- Recorded
- Weight
- Research required
- Mint or printer
- Research required
- Mint or printer mark
- Research required
- Catalogue reference
- Research required
- Attached photograph (check rights)
- Recorded
Recorded means a field is present, not independently verified. Read its wording, supporting source and the entry’s confidence level.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: this record describes a single museum object; confirm the wider coin type and standard catalogue references against numismatic literature.