During the reign of Edward the Elder (899–924 CE), the expansion of royal authority into the  crucial region of East Anglia was marked by the establishment and use of local mints. This includes the important centers of Norwich and Ipswich. These mints produced silver pennies which helped to integrate the region economically and politically into Edward’s growing kingdom, especially following the continued retreat of Viking forces. While the particular mint responsible for striking this coin is unknown, it is believed to be an irregular mint established by Edward after 920. These “portrait type” pennies are distinguished by a stylized bust of the king on the obverse. The portrait, often somewhat abstract and schematic compared to later medieval coinage, was one of the earliest attempts to depict the monarch’s image on coinage in Anglo-Saxon England, symbolizing royal authority and presence across the realm.