Frederick II held Nordhausen as an imperial city directly under crown authority, and coins struck there during his reign reflect the administrative consolidation he pursued across the German territories while simultaneously battling popes and managing the Sixth Crusade. The bracteate format — a single-sided coin struck on a thin flan — was by this period already declining in the north but persisted in Thuringian and Saxon minting traditions through inertia as much as preference.
At 47mm across and under a gram of silver, these pieces were notoriously fragile in circulation. Surviving examples with intact edges are the exception.
Frederick II held Nordhausen as an imperial city directly under crown authority, and coins struck there during his reign reflect the administrative consolidation he pursued across the German territories while simultaneously battling popes and managing the Sixth Crusade. The bracteate format — a single-sided coin struck on a thin flan — was by this period already declining in the north but persisted in Thuringian and Saxon minting traditions through inertia as much as preference.
At 47mm across and under a gram of silver, these pieces were notoriously fragile in circulation. Surviving examples with intact edges are the exception.