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1 Pfennig - Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau
| Issuer | Salzburg, Bishopric of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1588-1598 |
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| Composition | Billon |
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| Obverse description | Divided shield occupying the central field, with a rampant lion in the left quarter and a plain orb in the right quarter, the whole bisected by a cross formed by the shield's internal divisions. The two-digit year numeral appears above the shield in the upper field, while the issuer's initials 'WD' (for Wolf Dietrich) are struck below in the lower field. The flan is irregular and slightly irregular in outline, characteristic of hammered billon pfennigs of the late sixteenth century. No surrounding legend is present, the design relying entirely on heraldic and initial devices for identification. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | 97 WD |
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| Additional information |
Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau became Archbishop of Salzburg in 1587 at just 28 years old, backed by his family's Roman connections rather than any particular pastoral reputation. His reign was extravagant — he demolished the old cathedral to build a grander replacement and kept a mistress, Salome Alt, by whom he had at least a dozen children. These petty billon pfennigs were the lowest-denomination instruments of that ambition, funding a court that contemporary observers considered scandalously Italian in character for a German ecclesiastical prince.