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1 Blanken - John I
| Issuer | County of Cleves |
|---|---|
| Year | 1448-1481 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Blank (1 Blanken = 2 Weißpfennig) (8) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A long cross pattée extending to the inner circle, its arms terminating in flared ends and dividing the field into four quarters, each containing a small star or mullet in the angles. The cross cuts through the innermost of two concentric circular legends, which encircle the entire design within a beaded border, typical of Rhenish blanken coinage of the mid-fifteenth century. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
John I ruled Cleves during a period of persistent small-change scarcity across the Lower Rhine, and the blanken was specifically introduced to fill the gap between the heavy silver coinage and the near-worthless copper issues that dominated petty commerce. The denomination takes its name from the Middle Dutch word for "bright" or "shining" — a reference to the freshly blanched silver surface that distinguished it from debased local imitations flooding the same markets.
Cleves maintained its mint rights jealously during John's tenure, a privilege repeatedly contested by neighboring Gelderland and the ecclesiastical mints of Cologne.