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1 Penning Visby
| Issuer | City of Visby |
|---|---|
| Year | 1220-1280 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 0.13 g |
| 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 | Central field dominated by a broad voided or outlined cross with elaborate interlace or lattice ornamentation filling the angles between the arms, characteristic of Gotlandic bracteate-influenced coinage of the thirteenth century. The cross arms extend nearly to the flan edge, with decorative geometric elements — likely trefoils or pellets — occupying the four quadrants. The overall design is rendered in low relief on a thin, irregularly shaped flan typical of hammered medieval Scandinavian pennies. No legible legend is present; the composition is purely ornamental and heraldic in character. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (1220-1280) |
| Additional information |
Visby's commercial dominance in the Baltic during the thirteenth century rested on its position as the primary Hanseatic entrepôt before Lübeck consolidated control of the league. The city's right to strike its own coinage was a practical necessity for a trading hub handling transactions across currencies from Novgorod to Flanders. These bracteate-style penningar circulated alongside German pfennige and Danish ørtugar in the same purses, their acceptance determined by weight and merchant trust rather than any issuing authority's decree.
At 0.13 g, losses to clipping were nearly impossible — there was nothing left to clip.