Denier Bracteate - John

John, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, ruled a territory that had fragmented severely after the death of Otto the Child in 1252, leaving multiple heirs to contest partition. Bracteates of this period from the region reflect that administrative instability — thin, single-sided strikes that were cheap to produce and easily reissued as political control shifted between branches of the Welf dynasty. At 0.41g, this piece sits at the lower end of even bracteate fabric, consistent with the progressive weight reduction documented across mid-13th century Lower Saxon issues as silver supplies tightened under the pressures of territorial subdivision.