Lucca was one of the most active mints of the early Carolingian reform period, and deniers struck there before the 793–794 monetary reform carry the pre-reform weight standard — lighter than the heavier penny that Charlemagne mandated at the Frankfurt assembly. That reform, which fixed the new denier at roughly 1.7 grams and tied twelve of them to a pound of silver divided into 240 parts, rendered these earlier issues obsolete almost overnight.
The Lucca mint's continuous operation through Lombard and then Frankish rule gives it an unusual documentary trail for the period.
Lucca was one of the most active mints of the early Carolingian reform period, and deniers struck there before the 793–794 monetary reform carry the pre-reform weight standard — lighter than the heavier penny that Charlemagne mandated at the Frankfurt assembly. That reform, which fixed the new denier at roughly 1.7 grams and tied twelve of them to a pound of silver divided into 240 parts, rendered these earlier issues obsolete almost overnight.
The Lucca mint's continuous operation through Lombard and then Frankish rule gives it an unusual documentary trail for the period.