Denier Bracteate - Gerhard II of Lippe

Gerhard II served as Archbishop of Bremen from 1219 to 1258, one of the longest episcopates of the medieval North German church. His tenure coincided with sustained conflict over territorial jurisdiction between Bremen and the surrounding counts — including the Counts of Oldenburg and his own nominal vassals in Lippe — making coin issuance partly a political act of asserting ecclesiastical authority over disputed minting rights. Bracteates of this region and period are notoriously fragile; the single-sided fabric, struck on foil-thin flans, means survivors without cracks or folds are genuinely scarce.