The term ‘sceat’ originates from Old English and means ‘treasure’ or ‘money’. Minted and used during the Anglo-Saxon period, these small silver coins often feature intricate patterns depicting animals, human figures, runes and symbols. By the ninth century, the use of sceats started to decline as other forms of currency, such as the silver penny, gained popularity, with the penny eventually becoming the dominant coinage in medieval England.

Thought to date back to circa AD 715–40, this particular sceat was found in North Yorkshire, England.