The silver coin is one of the most common coin types of the medieval period. It was minted during the reign of Edward I (1272-1307). Edward was famous for his program of building castles in Wales and moving the Stone of Destiny from Scotland to London.
The importance of the coin to the Isle of Man, however, is that it is one of more than 300 coins found at Ballasligh, near Douglas. Before the advent of banks, people often hid their savings in the ground during hard times. Sometimes the owners were never able to return to collect their cash holdings, and until recently they remained buried. The field where this hoard came from is now known as Silver Field.
The late 1200s was a particularly turbulent time on the Isle of Man, with the Anglo-Scottish wars raging in Britain. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the hoard was buried for safekeeping.