Edward I Irish Penny

Edward I's Irish penny was the first coin to enforce a sterling silver standard across Ireland, a bold move to curb the rampant clipping and debasement that plagued earlier issues.

Weighing around 1.4 grams and struck at the Dublin mint, these pennies featured the king's crowned bust on the obverse and a simple cross with three pellets in each angle on the reverse. That's straightforward design for a turbulent era.

Exact mintage figures? Gone, likely lost in medieval record-keeping mishaps or later fires. What we know is that production ramped up after 1279 to stabilize the economy under English rule.

Imitations cropped up quickly, as they do with any decent coin. Some fakes were so crude you'd think they were made by apprentices.

These pennies saw heavy circulation, often turning up in hoards from Scotland to France. That's the life of a medieval coin—here today, buried tomorrow.