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Denier - Béla III
| Issuer | Hungary |
|---|---|
| Year | 1172-1196 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Denier (Denár) (1) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | A retrograde eagle displayed facing right within a linear circle border. The legend is arranged around the eagle in the field, with the letters ILA appearing above and the letters Q and A positioned in front of and beneath the bird respectively. The design is executed in the crude, bold relief typical of Hungarian hammered coinage of the late 12th century. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A lion passant within a linear circle border, depicted either to the left (CAC I#16.3; EK#15/23) or to the right (CAC I#16.4; EK#15/23A) depending on the variety. The animal is rendered in a stylized, archaic manner characteristic of Hungarian medieval hammered deniers, with details of the mane and limbs visible in relief. The field is otherwise plain with no legend or additional devices. |
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| Additional information |
Béla III was the first Hungarian king to introduce written record-keeping into royal administration, a reform directly tied to his years at the Byzantine court before his accession — he had been groomed as heir to Manuel I Komnenos before dynastic circumstances redirected him to Buda. His reign saw Hungary's treasury assessed at income rivaling that of the English crown, a figure recorded in a contemporary papal survey. These deniers were struck in quantity, but the thin fabric and soft silver of the type left them vulnerable to creasing and fragmentation in circulation.