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1 Penning Visby
| Issuer | Gotland |
|---|---|
| Year | 1140-1220 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Penning (1140-1280) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central device consisting of a stylized wheel or cross-like motif surrounded by a border of raised pellets, struck on an irregularly shaped flan typical of early medieval hammered coinage. The design is executed in low relief with a primitive, archaic style characteristic of Gotlandic bracteate-influenced penningar of the 12th century. No legend or inscription is present. The field surrounding the central motif is uneven, reflecting the hand-struck nature of the piece. |
|---|---|
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| Mint | Visby |
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| Additional information |
Visby's commercial dominance in the Baltic during the twelfth century rested on its position as the primary entrepôt between Novgorod and western Europe, and these small silver penningar were the working currency of that trade. Gotland operated its own mint with unusual autonomy for an island community, answering neither consistently to the Swedish crown nor to any ecclesiastical authority during this period.
At 0.23 g, these pieces were among the lightest silver coins in circulation anywhere in northern Europe at the time — fractions of a fraction, used in bulk by weight as much as by count.