S0886A North 229.  A Very Rare coin with a superb provenance: ex Dresser, Lovejoy Lot 1416, and Lawrence Stack collection Lot 255. Issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury and coined under license of Coenwulf, King of Mercia. Æthelheard (or Æthelhard) is first noted in history as the Abbot of Louth in Mercia. Sometime in the late 760s ? he became Bishop of Winchester and in 792 appointed to the Archbishopric of Canterbury by Offa, King of Mercia.  As Canterbury was located in the Kingdom of Kent (recently subjugated by Offa), this appointment was deeply resented by the Kentish sub-king Eadberht Praen. Upon his appointment, Æthelheard worked to establish Canterbury as the primary see of England. However, King Offa (with papal approval), had established in 787 a rival Archbishopric in Lichfield as it was located firmly within the territory of Mercia and therefore outside the influence of his main rival, the King of Kent. After Offa’s death in 796, the Kingdom of Kent became independent from Mercia and Archbishop Æthelheard was promptly removed from office by King Eadberht III Præn of Kent. In 798 Coenwulf, the new King of Mercia, invaded Kent and captured Eadberht, whom he blinded and imprisoned. Æthelheard was restored to Archbishopric of Canterbury and promptly set about restoring the see’s possessions and obtaining the fealty of several southern bishops to recognize Canterbury as the primary see in England. In 801, Aethelheard traveled to Rome and successfully petitioned Pope Leo to demote Lichfield back to a bishopric. Upon his return to England in 803, Aethelheard convened a council of English bishops which decreed that no archiepiscopal see besides Canterbury should ever been established in the southern part of Britain. Aethelheard died on the 12th of May 805 and is buried at Canterbury. To this day the Archbishops of Canterbury have primacy over all other English sees.  Strong even strike. nice patina. A similar coin in a finer grade was sold in the  Numismatica Ars Classica auction of the fabulous Irving Goodman collection of early Saxon coins held on 25 May 2025 for CHF 6000 plus 22.5% buyers fee. or $9040.00  NEF