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Obol - Andrew II
| Issuer | Hungary |
|---|---|
| Year | 1205-1235 |
| Type | 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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| Reference(s) | ÉH#181, H#253, EK I#17/71, CAC III#21.75 |
| Obverse description | Frontal bust of the ruler depicted in a stylized, archaic manner, flanked on either side by a fortified bastion or tower; above each bastion appears a rounded arch or hoop. The design is contained within a plain circular border, typical of Hungarian hammered bracteate-style coinage of the early 13th century. The crude but expressive engraving reflects the primitive die-cutting tradition of the Árpád-era royal mint. |
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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 chronic financial desperation that followed his disastrous Fifth Crusade campaign and the ruinous land grants of the so-called "Golden Bull" period — by 1222 the nobility had forced from him a charter limiting royal authority precisely because he had spent the treasury into collapse. Small silver fractions like this obol were debased progressively across his reign as the crown leased minting rights to private contractors, a practice Andrew relied on heavily to generate short-term revenue at the cost of coinage integrity.