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Denaro - Frederick II Messina
| Issuer | Sicily, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1242 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | Spahr1#123, MEC XIV#552, MIR#284 |
| Obverse description | Within a plain inner circle, a large capital letter A occupies the central field, flanked by a pellet to each side; below the letter, a crescent with a six-pointed star nestled within its horns. The surrounding legend is separated from the inner circle by a beaded border, with the whole struck on a characteristically irregular flan typical of Hohenstaufen hammered coinage. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Frederick II's Sicilian billon issues of the early 1240s were struck against a backdrop of his second excommunication by Pope Innocent IV in 1245 — though this Messina piece predates that moment, it belongs to the sustained administrative reorganization of the Regno that Frederick pursued through his Constitutions of Melfi in 1231, which brought mint operations under direct imperial control. Messina was one of the primary production centers, alongside Brindisi, for the small change that kept southern Italian commerce moving at street level.
The exceptionally low silver fineness reflects deliberate policy, not debasement under pressure.