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1 Weißpfennig - William II

Issuer Duchy of Jülich
Year 1361-1393
Type Standard circulation coin
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Obverse description Central shield bearing the rampant lion of Jülich, displayed within a Gothic trefoil arch topped by a quatrefoil ornament. The shield is rendered in detailed relief with a bold, stylized lion passant-rampant facing left. The trefoil frame is composed of three lobed arches, with small decorative rosettes or cross-pommée terminals at the cusps. The surrounding legend, divided by the lobes of the trefoil, reads WILHELMVS DVX IVLIACE, identifying the issuer as Duke William of Jülich. The coin exhibits the irregular, slightly uneven flan typical of high medieval hammered silver coinage.
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Edge Plain
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Additional information

William II ruled Jülich from 1361 until his death in 1393, a period during which the duchy was aggressively expanding its territorial influence through marriage alliances and military pressure against its Rhenish neighbors. The Weißpfennig — literally "white penny," named for the pale appearance of lightly silvered or high-silver billon coinage — was the dominant small denomination circulating across the lower Rhine region throughout the second half of the fourteenth century. Jülich's issues competed directly with those of Cologne, Aachen, and Geldern in a fragmented monetary environment where local lords jealously guarded minting rights as a revenue source.

Noss JMA#118 places this type within a well-documented sequence, though attribution of specific strikes to individual years within the 32-year span remains difficult without die study.

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