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Denaro - Anonymous Cross

Issuer Patriarchate of Aquileia
Year 1150-1190
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Shape Round (irregular)
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Reverse description A bold cross pattée occupies the center of the field, with its splayed arms extending toward the beaded border. A single pellet is placed in each of the four quarters formed by the cross, a design element typical of the anonymous denaro coinage of the Patriarchate of Aquileia during the second half of the 12th century. The surface is plain and uninscribed. The beaded border frames the composition and is consistent with hammered coinage of the period.
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Edge Plain
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Additional information

The Patriarchate of Aquileia held both ecclesiastical and secular authority over a vast stretch of northeastern Italy and the eastern Alps, a dual power that made its mint output politically charged from the outset. These anonymous denari — attributed to the patriarchs reigning between roughly Ulrich II and Godfrey of Hohenlohe — drop personal attribution entirely, an unusual choice that likely reflects contested authority during a period of recurring friction with the Holy Roman Emperor over investiture rights in the region.

Bernardi's attribution remains the standard reference, though the typology continues to generate debate among specialists working northern Italian medieval series.