Catalog
Denier saint
| Issuer | Besalu, County of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1052-1066 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Denier |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Central field depicts a stylized open hand with five spread fingers, rendered in low relief in the hammered medieval manner, with a small pellet at the base of the palm. The hand motif rises from a short stem or base, filling the flan. The circular legend BISILDVNO surrounds the central device, referencing the county seat of Besalú, partially visible along the inner border of the irregular flan. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | BISILDVNO (Translation: Besalú) |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Besalú was one of the smaller Catalan counties but maintained its own mint with notable tenacity. The county's coinage rights were bound up in the complex feudal web linking it simultaneously to the Crown of Aragon's predecessors and the Frankish sphere, and the deniers struck under Count Guillem II during this period reflect that ambiguity. Besalú was absorbed into the County of Barcelona in 1111 following the death of Count Bernat III without an heir, ending its independent monetary output entirely.