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Obol - Andrew II
| Issuer | Hungary |
|---|---|
| Year | 1205-1235 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | ÉH#151, H#226, EK I#17/84, CAC III#21.45 |
| Obverse description | A prominent double cross rises from a central shelf or platform, flanked symmetrically on either side by a stylised tower or turret rendered in low relief. The design is unlettered, occupying the entire field of the irregularly shaped flan. The architectural elements — towers and shelf — are characteristic of the Árpád-dynasty coinage of medieval Hungary. No legend or border is present. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Andrew II's reign was defined less by monetary policy than by the catastrophic land giveaways his nobles extracted through the Golden Bull of 1222 — effectively Hungary's Magna Carta, signed under duress after decades of Andrew alienating royal domains to fund crusading ambitions he repeatedly delayed. The crown's fiscal base eroded so dramatically during this period that chamber profits from coinage became one of the few remaining reliable revenue streams, putting unusual administrative pressure on even the smallest denominations.
The obol, struck at half the weight of the contemporary denár, circulated primarily in small local transactions and tax payments in kind.