Denier Bracteate - Ludolf of Kroppenstedt

Ludolf of Kroppenstedt served as Archbishop of Magdeburg from 1192 until his death in 1205, a tenure marked by sustained conflict with the Ascanian margraves over territorial jurisdiction east of the Elbe. Magdeburg's mint was among the most prolific producers of bracteates in the Saxon region during this period, and thin single-sided silver issues like this one were the dominant transactional currency across the northern German ecclesiastical territories throughout the late twelfth century.