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Maille - Tournai
| Issuer | Bishopric of Tournai (Belgian States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1121-1200 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central cross pattée within a beaded inner circle, with a small annulet or pellet at the centre of the cross. The four quadrants formed by the arms of the cross each contain a stylized letter or symbol, together forming the legend T S S T, likely referencing Tournai and its patron saints. The entire device is enclosed within a rope or beaded border that follows the irregular contour of the flan. The style is consistent with hammered ecclesiastical issues of the late 12th century from the southern Low Countries. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | T S S T |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Tournai's bishops struck their own coinage under privileges granted during the broader fragmentation of Carolingian monetary authority — by the twelfth century, ecclesiastical mints across the Low Countries were producing small silver fractions more or less continuously, with the bishop's mint operating in direct competition with the comital issues of Flanders just across the diocesan boundary. The maille, at the lowest practical denomination in silver, circulated heavily among market traders and was worn to illegibility within years.
Boudeau 2005 covers a type with notably inconsistent die alignment, likely a consequence of a small workshop producing high volumes with minimal supervision.