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Denier - Charlemagne Milan mint
| Issuer | Unified Carolingian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 773-793 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse features the MER F monogram — an interlaced or combined cipher standing for Mediolanum Rex Francorum (Milan, King of the Franks) — executed in bold, angular Carolingian letterforms. The monogram occupies the central field, composed of the interlinked letters M, E, R, and F, a device characteristic of Charlemagne's pre-reform Milan mint issues. Small pellets or besants appear in the fields around the monogram, with the number varying by die variety. The design is enclosed within a beaded border and the flan is irregular, consistent with hand-struck hammered coinage of the late 8th century. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
This belongs to the earliest phase of Carolingian coinage reform, predating Charlemagne's landmark 793–794 monetary overhaul that increased the silver denier's weight to roughly 1.7g and redefined the relationship between the libra, solidus, and denarius. The Milan mint — ancient Mediolanum — had been a major imperial striking center under the Romans and resumed that role under Lombard rule before Charlemagne's conquest of the Lombard kingdom in 774 brought it into the Carolingian monetary network.
The variant designations across Prou, Morrison, and Gariel reflect genuine die diversity within this early pre-reform group rather than cataloger disagreement.