Denier Bracteate - Henry I

Henry I of Hessen ruled as the first independent Landgrave following the 1264 partition of Thuringia, which severed Hessen from its long subordination to the Ludowingian landgraves. These thin, single-sided bracteates were the dominant small-denomination silver coinage of central German territories throughout the 13th century — their fragility a direct consequence of the hammering technique applied to blanks too thin to carry a proper relief on both faces. Many examples from this reign are found creased or cracked, having survived in hoards rather than through prolonged handling.