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1/4 Penning
| Issuer | Norway |
|---|---|
| Year | 1205-1260 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Penning (995-1387) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | A large capital letter M occupies the central field, rendered in bold relief in the medieval hammered style. Four pellets are positioned at the cardinal points surrounding the letter — above, below, to the left, and to the right — serving as decorative stops. The design is characteristic of Norwegian bracteate coinage of the 13th century, with the letter M serving as a mint initial for Marstrand. The flan is thin and irregularly shaped, as is typical of contemporary Scandinavian hammered bracteates. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | As a bracteate, this coin was struck on a single thin flan from one die only; the reverse shows the incuse mirror image of the obverse design, with the capital letter M and surrounding pellets visible in negative relief. |
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| Additional information |
Norwegian coinage in the thirteenth century was produced under a royal minting system that remained technically primitive by continental standards, with dies cut by craftsmen whose output varied considerably from one striking to the next. The quarter penning denomination served the lowest tier of everyday exchange during a period when Norway's coin supply was chronically thin relative to its trading needs.
Skaare 172 falls within the long reign of Haakon IV Haakonsson, whose rule from 1217 to 1263 marked Norway's political peak — the annexation of Iceland and Greenland, and a sustained engagement with European courts that demanded at least the appearance of monetary sophistication.