Catalog
Denier - Béla II
| Issuer | Hungary |
|---|---|
| Year | 1131-1141 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | 9.06 mm |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Central vertical pearl pillar surmounted by three orbs at the top, center, and bottom, flanked on each side by a curved arc terminating in orbs at both ends. Two crosses appear to either side of the central pillar, with wedge-shaped devices arranged at the upper and lower portions of the field. The overall composition is geometrically stylized in the Romanesque tradition characteristic of early Hungarian coinage. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A plain cross centered within a beaded inner circle, with a small pellet or dot in each of the four quarters formed by the cross arms. The annular space between the inner beaded circle and the outer border is filled with radial lines, creating a decorative ring typical of early medieval Hungarian deniers. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Béla II came to the throne blind — both eyes gouged out on the orders of King Stephen II when Béla was a child, a dynastic mutilation intended to disqualify him from rule. That he reigned for a decade regardless is a minor political miracle. His coinage reflects the compressed, irregular fabric typical of Hungarian bracteate-influenced striking of the period, and the multiple catalog references here — ÉH, Huszár, Éremhatározó, and the CAC corpus — speak to ongoing scholarly disagreement over die groupings within this reign.