Denier Bracteate

Bracteates of this weight class were struck across dozens of tiny Rhenish and Saxon mints during the fragmentation that followed Henry the Lion's exile in 1180 — the political vacuum left by his banishment from imperial territory generated a proliferation of local coinage authority that makes precise attribution for most pieces effectively impossible. At 0.38g, this sits at the lighter end of the spectrum, consistent with the progressive debasement seen through the 1180s as regional lords monetized silver supplies of diminishing purity.