Maille - Anonymous Ghent, anchor cross

Anonymous Flemish small change from the second half of the thirteenth century, struck without a count's name at a moment when Flanders was cycling through rapid political succession — Guy of Dampierre alone fought prolonged disputes with both the French crown and his own towns over monetary authority. The absence of a named issuer on this denomination was not oversight but deliberate policy: anonymous coinages were harder for rival powers to discredit or demonetize by targeting a specific ruler's name.

Ghent's mint output in this period was considerable, and the maille was the workhorse of small retail transactions — grain markets, toll payments, petty exchange.