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Obol - Amadeus VIII
| Issuer | County of Savoy (Savoy (France), French States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1391-1416 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Central field features the heraldic eagle of Savoy displayed within a plain inner circle, rendered in a bold, stylized Gothic manner typical of late medieval hammered billon coinage. The eagle's wings are spread and the body is shown frontally, with details heavily worn but retaining the characteristic angular treatment of the period. A rope or beaded border encircles the inner design, forming the boundary between the central device and the marginal legend. The peripheral legend reads AMEDEVS COM in uncial Latin characters, distributed around the circumference. The flan is irregular and slightly clipped, consistent with hand-hammered production of the early fifteenth century. |
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| Reverse script | Latin (uncial) |
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| Additional information |
Amadeus VIII ruled Savoy for an unusually long and transformative stretch, eventually abdicating in 1440 to enter his own monastic order at Ripaille before being elected antipope Felix V in 1439 — the last antipope in the history of the Catholic Church. This obol belongs to the earlier decades of his reign, well before that remarkable turn. Billon coinage of this type circulated through Alpine trade routes connecting French and Italian markets, and the weight on surviving examples varies noticeably, reflecting the loose tolerance standards applied to petty denominations at Savoyard mints during this period.