Catalog
Denier
| Issuer | Fraumünster, Abbey of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1001-1100 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | HMZ 1#1-610 |
| Obverse description | A large isosceles cross occupies the central field, its arms extending nearly to the coin's edge. A small annulet is placed in each of the four angles formed by the cross arms, serving as decorative fillers. The design is rendered in low relief typical of 11th-century hammered ecclesiastical coinage, with no surrounding legend. The flan is irregular and shows characteristic pinching at four points on the periphery. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (1001-1100) |
| Additional information |
The Fraumünster in Zürich held minting rights granted by Louis the German in 853, making it one of the earliest ecclesiastical mints in the region. By the eleventh century the abbey — governed exclusively by aristocratic canonesses, not monks — wielded enough secular authority to produce coinage in its own right, a privilege that placed its abbesses on equal footing with territorial bishops.
The exceptionally low silver fineness of 0.37 reflects broader debasement trends in regional ecclesiastical issues as abbeys balanced production costs against nominal face value.