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Denier - Charlemagne Saint Fermin church of Amiens, CAROL REX
| Issuer | Unified Carolingian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 768-771 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Denier (1⁄240) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse field displays the dedicatory legend of the mint-church arranged in three horizontal lines of bold Carolingian majuscule lettering: SCI / FIRMI / NI, referencing Saint Firminus (St. Fermin), the patron saint of the church of Amiens. A horizontal bar or stroke surmounts the uppermost line of the legend, a common abbreviation device used in early medieval ecclesiastical inscriptions. A cross terminating in pellets or a decorative terminal mark appears at the end of the legend. The coin's surface is characteristically rough and irregular, consistent with hand-hammered production. The absence of any figurative design reflects the purely epigraphic style of the earliest Carolingian deniers. |
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| Reverse lettering | SCI FIRMI NI + (Translation: St. Fermin.) |
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| Additional information |
Struck in the earliest years of Charlemagne's sole reign over the Franks — before the execution of his brother Carloman's heirs had fully consolidated his authority — this denier belongs to the initial phase of Carolingian monetary reform that would eventually standardize silver coinage across much of western Europe. The Amiens mint operated under episcopal oversight, with the church of Saint-Fermin providing both the institutional authority and the physical infrastructure for striking. These earliest Carol Rex issues predate the heavier reformed deniers mandated after 793-794, making them measurably lighter than later Carolingian production.