The term Viking is used to refer to the Scandinavian explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, and settled in wide areas of Europe and the North Atlantic islands. The period from the earliest recorded raids in Britain in the 780’s until the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 is commonly known as the Viking Age.

In the early AD 1000s, the Saxon king Aethelred ‘The Unready’ paid Viking raiders to stop their attacks. This money was called ‘Danegeld’. However, in 1013 Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark, invaded England leaving his son Cnut king of England and part of the Viking empire.

This reproduction Cnut Penny coin is made from lead-free pewter. The coin has the crowned bust of Cnut on the obverse and a long cross on the reverse.

The coin is held in a clear plastic blister and is supplied in full colour pamphlet style packaging, complete with images and historical information of both the coin and the Vikings.