Catalog
1 Scherf 'Hohlscherf'
| Issuer | City of Erfurt |
|---|---|
| Year | 1468 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Concave bracteate-style obverse displaying a six-spoked wheel with a pronounced thick outer rim, centrally positioned in the depressed field. The spokes radiate symmetrically from a central hub, rendered in low relief characteristic of medieval hammered bracteate coinage. The broad, raised outer border frames the design and is typical of the Hohlscherf (hollow bracteate) form produced at Erfurt in the fifteenth century. No legend or additional decorative elements are present. |
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| Reverse description | Reverse is blank, as is standard for this type of thin, uniface bracteate (Hohlscherf) coinage, where the design struck on the obverse appears in incuse mirror image on the reverse due to the extreme thinness of the flan. No devices, legends, or additional markings are present. |
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| Additional information |
Erfurt's Hohlscherf — a hollow-struck bracteate-type pfennig — emerged from the city's complicated monetary position within the Archbishop of Mainz's territorial authority. By the 1460s, Erfurt was effectively running its own fiscal policy despite formal subordination to Mainz, and these lightweight silver scherfpfennige reflect local mint practice optimized for small retail transactions rather than any archiepiscopal standard. The Hohlscherf designation refers specifically to the single-sided striking technique producing a concave flan — a production method cheaper in silver than full-thickness coinage and widespread across Thuringia.
Leitzmann's attribution remains the foundational reference for this type, compiled from finds concentrated in the Erfurt region itself.