Ghost of a flea

During Offa's reign, English coinage (south of the Humber at any rate) underwent reforms which parallelled Frankish developments. The previous, small, dumpy, and rather informal (rarely carrying an inscription) silver coins (known as 'sceattas') were replaced by broader, thinner and heavier silver pennies which carried the name of the king and the moneyer. As well as producing coins in his own name, Offa's mints also produced coins bearing a portrait of his wife, Cynethryth, and the title 'regina Merciorum'.

One famous curiosity is the single surviving example of a gold coin, copied from a 774 dinar of the Kaliph Al-Mansur, complete with inaccurately executed Arabic inscription, and bearing the legend 'OFFA REX' on the reverse.