Denier Bracteate

Brandenburg's bracteate deniers of this period emerged from a minting tradition that swept across the German-speaking lands in the 12th and 13th centuries, where single-sided fabric proved cheaper to produce and easier to stamp with the shallow dies typical of minor territorial workshops. The Ascanian margraves who governed Brandenburg through much of this half-century — including Johann I and Otto III, who partitioned the march between them in 1258 — each maintained separate minting rights, complicating attribution of undated pieces to a specific issuer within the dynasty.

At roughly 0.4g, these sat at the lowest practical threshold for silver coinage.