Denier Bracteate - Irmgard von Kirchberg

Irmgard von Kirchberg served as abbess of Quedlinburg from 1379 to 1405, presiding over an imperial abbey whose right to mint coinage dated back to privileges granted by Otto I in the tenth century. Bracteates of this weight and fabric — foil-thin, struck on a single die — were the dominant small denomination in central German territories for centuries, though by the late fourteenth century they were increasingly marginal against the spread of heavier groschen coinage.

Quedlinburg's minting authority was a source of recurring jurisdictional friction with the town burghers, who sought greater economic autonomy throughout this period.