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Obol - Andrew II
| Issuer | Hungary |
|---|---|
| Year | 1205-1235 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Obol (Obulus) (1/2) |
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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 |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A frontal angel figure occupies the central field, holding a long cross in the right hand in the manner typical of early Árpád-dynasty ecclesiastical coinage. Above the angel, a simplified church façade is depicted with a cross enclosed within a circle at its apex. Four small crosses are distributed symmetrically in the four quadrants of the outer field, serving as decorative or religious embellishments. The overall composition is executed in the schematic, flat-relief style characteristic of hammered Hungarian bracteate-influenced deniers of the early 13th century. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Mintage | ND (1205-1235) |
| Additional information |
Andrew II's reign was defined less by monetary policy than by catastrophic fiscal improvidence — he farmed out royal revenues, including mint rights, to Jewish and Muslim administrators, a practice that triggered a papal ultimatum from Honorius III in 1222 and contributed directly to the issuing of the Golden Bull that same year. That charter, often compared to Magna Carta, stripped the crown of powers Andrew had effectively already surrendered. Small silver fractions like this obol circulated within an economy the king was systematically dismantling to fund his disastrous 1217 Crusade to the Holy Land, which accomplished nothing and nearly bankrupted the kingdom.