Catalog
Denier - Herman I
| Issuer | Swabia, Duchy of |
|---|---|
| Year | 926-949 |
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| Value | 1 Denier |
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| Obverse description | Central plain cross with expanded arms set within a beaded inner circle, dividing the field into four quadrants. The ruler's name legend +HERIMANNVS is arranged in majuscule Latin characters around the beaded circle, reading clockwise. The overall design is typical of Carolingian-derived coinage, struck on an irregularly shaped flan with a broad, flat border. The lettering is boldly engraved in the hammered style characteristic of tenth-century German ecclesiastical and ducal issues. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | +HERIMANNVS (Translation: Herman.) |
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| Additional information |
Herman I was confirmed as Duke of Swabia in 926 by King Henry I, who was himself consolidating Carolingian-derived authority across the German duchies following the fragmentation after Louis the Child's death. The denier coinage of this period reflects that transitional moment — ducal minting rights were neither clearly defined nor consistently enforced, leaving local ecclesiastical and secular authorities considerable latitude in what they struck and where.
The Kluge Karolingian reference places this type within the broader post-Carolingian monetary tradition rather than a distinctly Swabian one, which is telling about how slowly regional numismatic identity developed in tenth-century Germany.