Catalog
Denier - Géza II
| Issuer | Hungary |
|---|---|
| Year | 1141-1162 |
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| Composition | Silver |
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| Obverse description | Within a plain inner circle, a large central cross extends to the border, its arms terminating in smaller ornamental crosses or crescents depending on the variety. The quadrants formed by the cross arms are filled with decorative motifs — including double crescents, small crosses, or groups of dots — arranged symmetrically within the inner circle. The broad, irregular flat field between the inner circle and the coin's edge is plain and unadorned, characteristic of hammered Hungarian medieval deniers. The design is bold and deeply struck relative to the coin's thin flan. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Plain or minimally detailed reverse typical of Hungarian hammered deniers of the mid-12th century, with faint die impressions visible on the irregular flan. The reverse design varies by variety: H#153 features a double cross with double crescents within an inner circle; H#154 displays a small cross terminating in circles with four dots within an inner circle; H#155 shows a central line with three dots and double crescents. The surfaces are uneven due to the hammered production technique on a roughly prepared flan. |
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| Additional information |
Géza II's reign coincided with sustained pressure from Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos, who backed rival claimants to the Hungarian throne and launched multiple military incursions into the kingdom. The extreme lightness of these deniers — well below even the already-debased Hungarian silver coinage of the preceding generation — reflects the fiscal strain of nearly continuous defensive mobilization across two decades.
The H#153–155 range distinguishes at least three die varieties within the type, a granularity that matters given how frequently these pieces are misattributed in trade.