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1/2 Penning
| Issuer | Norway |
|---|---|
| Year | 1170-1205 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Penning |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Within a plain inner ring enclosed by a second concentric ring, five pellets arranged in a quincunx pattern occupy the central field, forming an implied cross. The design is minimalist in character, typical of late 12th-century Norwegian bracteate coinage, with the concentric ring borders serving as the primary decorative framing device. The flan is irregular and slightly buckled, consistent with the hand-hammered bracteate technique of the period. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | As a bracteate, this coin was struck from a single die; the reverse presents an incuse mirror impression of the obverse design, showing the five-pellet quincunx motif and concentric ring borders in negative relief against the plain silver flan. |
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| Additional information |
Struck under the turbulent reign of Sverre Sigurdsson, who seized the Norwegian throne through civil war and spent much of his rule in open conflict with both the Church and rival claimants. Pope Celestine III placed Norway under interdict in 1198, a political rupture that did nothing to halt mint output — small silver fractions like this continued circulating through a kingdom perpetually at war with itself.