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Denier
| Issuer | City of Geneva |
|---|---|
| Year | 1535-1539 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | HMZ 1#2-307 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A bold plain cross with slightly expanded arms fills the central field, dividing it into four equal quadrants, all contained within a beaded inner circle. The Reformation motto POST · TENEBRAS · LVX · G · (After Darkness, Light) is inscribed in the circular legend between the beaded circle and the outer edge, with the initial letter G serving as a mint or variety mark. The cross is rendered in a simple, unornamented style characteristic of contemporary Genevan civic coinage. |
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| Additional information |
Geneva's adoption of the Reformation in May 1536 — the same year Calvin arrived at Guillaume Farel's insistence — created an immediate political rupture with the Duchy of Savoy, whose bishop had previously controlled the city's mint rights. These deniers, struck across the turbulent years of that transition, represent the newly independent commune asserting its own monetary authority for the first time. The billon alloy was already debased by regional standards, a reflection of the city's precarious finances during a period of near-constant military threat from Savoyard forces.
HMZ 1#2-307 is a short-lived type, discontinued by 1540 as Geneva reorganized its coinage under the consolidated civic government.