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Denier Bracteate - Henry II
| Issuer | Landgraviate of Hessen |
|---|---|
| Year | 1328-1376 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Pfennig |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Single-sided bracteate displaying a facing human head in high relief, rendered in a stylized medieval manner typical of Hessian pfennig coinage of the fourteenth century. The face is depicted frontally with schematically modeled eyes, nose, and mouth, framed by flowing hair or foliage-like projections extending to either side. The head is set within a plain inner border, itself encircled by a raised outer rim. The thin, uniface flan shows the characteristic irregular edge and slight fabric distortion associated with hammered bracteate technique. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (1328-1376) |
| Additional information |
Henry II of Hessen ruled during a period of aggressive territorial consolidation, repeatedly clashing with the archbishops of Mainz over fiscal and jurisdictional control of the Hessian heartland. These thin, single-sided bracteates were a distinctly central German monetary form by this point — practical for local exchange but poorly suited to prolonged handling, which is precisely why intact surviving examples tend to show minimal wear despite their age. The fabric is unforgiving; edge splits and flan irregularities are the norm, not exceptions.