Once Viking raiders began to settle in England in the mid-ninth century and established their own political structures, they soon began issuing coins of their own design. Coins were still regarded as 'tokens' and were often cut into two or four pieces to produce half-penny and farthing counters. These small silver pennies were used by wealthy Anglo-Scandinavians; the very poorest people probably hardly handled coinage at all.

Please find below a small selection of these extremely rare and difficult to find British Viking coins for sale.

Coinage had been known and used in northern Europe for centuries, but Scandinavia was slow to develop a monetary economy. Barter and exchange of goods of equal worth remained the commonest forms of trade; any coins which found their way to the north were used as bullion counters rather than as true coins. The earliest Viking coin issues were imitations of English and European coinage, although the silver used to create them was more often sourced from eastern Europe and the Caliphate.

With the successful overthrow of Viking power in western England by Alfred the Great, and his partial re-conquest of the country, Danish Vikings in England were drawn into the Anglo-Saxon economic orbit and quickly began issuing coins in imitation of Alfred's own. Many Viking coins from the southern Danelaw carried Alfred's name, rather than the name of the Danish jarl who issued them. In East Anglia, the Viking Guthrum, Alfred's godson, issued coins copying the designs of Alfred's coins, but bearing his own baptismal name of Athelstan.

During the early phases of Viking invasion, AD 878-964, settlers struck pennies imitating English coins, but for Viking rulers in their own right. Viking coins were minted in East Anglia by Æthelred (AD 870); Æthelstan II (Guthrum) (AD 878-890); Oswald (AD 890? - known only from coins); Ælfdene (AD 900); St. Eadmund (Memorial coinage); and St. Martin of Lincoln (AD 925). Coins were minted in York by Siefred Cnut (AD 897); Earl Sihtric (date unknown); Regnald (AD 919-921); Sihtric I (AD 921-927); Anlaf Guthfrithsson (AD 939-941); Anlaf Sihtricsson (AD 927, 941-944 and 948-952); Regnald II Guthfrithsson (AD 941-943); Sihtric II Sihtricsson (AD 942-943); and Eric Bloodaxe (AD 948 and 952-954).

English coinage was available in Scandinavia due to the onerous imposition of the Danegeld; this gave impetus to the development of local coinages among the various Scandinavian rulers.