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Denier Bracteate - Otto II
| Issuer | Brandenburg, Margraviate of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1184-1205 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Bracteate struck in thin silver, displaying a symmetrical architectural composition consisting of a central towered gate or keep flanked by two lateral towers, each surmounted by battlements, rendered in a stylized Romanesque manner. The central structure features a prominent arched gateway at its base, with decorative architectural detailing above. The entire design is enclosed within a plain inner circle border, itself set within the slightly irregular flan typical of hammered bracteate coinage. No legend is present; the composition is purely pictorial, representing the fortified urban character of Brandenburg as the seat of Margravial authority. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | As a bracteate, the reverse presents the incuse mirror image of the obverse design, showing the same fortified triple-towered architectural motif impressed in relief through the thin silver flan. The incuse impression is characteristic of the bracteate technique, whereby a single die strike transfers the design to both faces simultaneously. The surface is plain and unmarked, with natural flow lines and slight irregularities inherent to the hammered bracteate manufacturing process. |
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| Additional information |
Otto II ruled the Margraviate of Brandenburg during a period when the Ascanians were aggressively consolidating territory east of the Elbe, and bracteate coinage served the practical needs of that expanding frontier economy. These thin, single-sided strikes were common to northern and central German territories throughout the twelfth and early thirteenth centuries — their fragility is less a production flaw than an inherent property of the type, which was intentionally designed for a monetary system that periodically recalled and reissued coinage, making hoarding unprofitable.
The Berger 1690 reference places this squarely within the documented Brandenburg bracteate sequence. At 0.58g, surviving examples rarely escape edge cracks.