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Obol - Andrew II
| Issuer | Kingdom of 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 |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field features a stylized frontal bust or head design within a beaded or rope-like inner circle, rendered in the crude, flat relief typical of early 13th-century Hungarian hammered coinage. The design elements, including what appears to be a crowned or turreted motif, are heavily schematized and difficult to resolve due to the die-cutting style of the period. The coin exhibits an irregular flan with uneven edges characteristic of hand-cut hammered blanks. No legible inscription is present on this side. The overall artistic execution reflects the primitive engraving conventions of the Árpád-dynasty monetary workshops. |
|---|---|
| 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 giveaway of royal estates and revenues to his barons — a process so ruinous that it forced the 1222 Golden Bull, Hungary's answer to Magna Carta, which stripped the crown of powers it would spend generations recovering. Small silver fractions like this obol circulated through an economy increasingly dominated by foreign merchants and Transylvanian mining interests rather than royal fiscal infrastructure.