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Denier - Charlemagne Strasbourg mint
| Issuer | Unified Carolingian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 771-793 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | Depeyr Car#954, Morrison#97, Nouchy#68 (p.62), Gariel Car#X/135, Prou Car#– |
| Obverse description | The obverse features the royal name CAROLUS inscribed in two lines across the field, divided into upper (CAR) and lower (LVS) registers, in bold, deeply struck capital letters characteristic of early Carolingian coinage. The legends are rendered in a monumental, somewhat rustic epigraphic style typical of hammered silver deniers of the late 8th century. There is no portrait or effigy; the design is purely epigraphic. The flan is irregular and slightly cracked, consistent with the hand-struck technique of the period. A plain, unraised border surrounds the inscription. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
This issue predates Charlemagne's monetary reform of 793–794, which scrapped the lighter Merovingian weight standard and imposed the new heavy denier of roughly 1.7g across the empire — making coins of this earlier type obsolete almost overnight. The Strasbourg mint, known in Carolingian documents as Argentoratum, was one of the few Rhenish mints active through the full arc of this pre-reform period. Surviving examples attributable to Strasbourg from these years are considerably scarcer than output from the major palace mints at Melle or Paris.