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Denier Bracteate - Henry the Lion
| Issuer | Brunswick-Luneburg |
|---|---|
| Year | 1142-1195 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Denier |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | As a bracteate, this coin was struck from a single die, producing an incuse mirror image of the obverse on the reverse. The reverse accordingly shows the lion passant device in sunken relief, appearing as a negative impression of the obverse design, with the surrounding border and rim details correspondingly inverted. This characteristic is intrinsic to all bracteate coinage of the period and reflects the single-sided hammered technique employed in 12th-century German minting. |
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| Mintage | ND (1142-1195) |
| Additional information |
Henry the Lion ruled Brunswick and Lüneburg as one of the most powerful princes in the Holy Roman Empire until his catastrophic falling-out with Frederick Barbarossa led to his trial and exile in 1180. The confiscation of his Saxon and Bavarian duchies truncated his minting authority sharply, making issues from the post-1180 period considerably scarcer than those of his peak years.
Bracteates of this type were struck on thin, single-sided flans — a minting convention that spread across northern Germany in the twelfth century partly because it allowed a larger design field from less silver. The wafer-thin fabric makes surviving examples highly susceptible to cracks along the edges.