26 SUOMEN MERENKULKU J FINLANDS SJÖFART
The rare coin
in the museum
One half of a silver coin was found next to a grave in the
churchyard. On one side of the coin, the letters spell
ADVVEA, which is part of +EADVVEARD REX, meaning
King Edward. On the other side of the coin, there are lines
and arcs, which are considered one half of a flower motif,
and the letters GA, which are the last letters in BVGA,
which is the name of the coin master. Based on this
information, the silver penny was coined in Chester in the
year 910-915. The silver penny is marked by Anglo-Saxon
King of Wessex, Edvard the Elder, who ruled in the years
899-924. The coin is very rare, as researchers only know
about four coins of this type. •
F The rare coin in the museum.
When the excavation reached the level of the foundation in
one of the church buildings, they found a ring. The ring
sparkled as it emerged from the soil, and for a moment one
could clearly see its cross motif. However, as soon as the
ring was exposed to oxygen, the oxidation of the metal
began and the golden sparkle disappeared. The ring, which
had been in the wet and salty soil for centuries, was now
covered with a brown and green corrosion, said the archae-
E The mysterious
ring in the museum.
The mysterious ring in the museum
ologist Helgi D. Michelsen, about the moment when the
mysterious ring was found in the excavation Niðri á Bakka
in the summer of 2016. The ring is gold-plated with a core
of silver. The ring is mysterious, because no similar ring has
been found elsewhere. However, researchers believe that
the ring originates from the European mainland, around
1050-1250. The ring is now preserved, the oxidation has
stopped, and it sparkles once again. •
” The ring
is mysterious,
because
no similar
ring has
been found
elsewhere.”