Denier Bracteate - Siegfried III of Eppstein

Siegfried III von Eppstein served as Archbishop of Mainz during one of the most turbulent stretches of 13th-century German ecclesiastical politics, backing first Frederick II and then switching allegiance to the papal faction — a reversal that shaped imperial succession more than once. His archbishopric's minting activity reflects that instability: bracteates of this type circulated in a regional economy where ecclesiastical lords wielded monetary authority as a direct instrument of political leverage.

At 0.21g, these are among the most fragile survivors of the Rhenish bracteate tradition. The Löbbecke specimen, long a reference point for the type, passed through auction with surface condition that set expectations for the series.