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1 Pfennig - Johannes II Bertkow
| Issuer | Bishopric of Dorpat |
|---|---|
| Year | 1473-1485 |
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| Thickness | 0.5 mm |
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| Obverse description | Central field dominated by a fleur-de-lis motif, rendered in a stylized Gothic manner characteristic of Livonian ecclesiastical coinage of the late 15th century. The design is surrounded by a circular legend in Latin uncial script reading IOHANES · EPS ·, identifying the issuing bishop Johannes (Episcopus). The flan is irregular and slightly convex, typical of hammered billon coinage of the period. Granular decorative elements flank the central device, adding texture to the otherwise plain field. The overall strike is uneven, consistent with the artisanal production methods of the Dorpat mint. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | IOHANES · EPS · (Translation: Johannes Episcopus Johannes, Bishop) |
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| Additional information |
Johannes II Bertkow held the see of Dorpat from 1473 to 1485, a period when the Livonian bishoprics were caught between the competing pressures of the Livonian Order, Hanseatic commercial interests, and an increasingly assertive Muscovy to the east. Small billon pfennigs of this type were the workhorse of local trade in the Estonian and Latvian territories — struck in debased silver precisely because bullion was chronically short across the Livonian confederation. Haljak's corpus remains the essential reference for attributing these issues, as episcopal and Order coinages of the period are easily confused without die study.