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Obol - Andrew II
| Issuer | Hungary |
|---|---|
| Year | 1205-1235 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 0.39 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A prominent double cross is depicted at the center, its arms extending between two concentric circles, each ornamented with six pellets, the entire device contained within a beaded or plain inner circle. The bold cruciform motif, characteristic of Árpád-dynasty Hungarian coinage of the early 13th century, dominates the small flan with no surrounding legend. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Andrew II's reign was defined less by stable coinage than by chronic fiscal desperation. He financed the Fifth Crusade and an catastrophically expensive series of territorial campaigns partly by debasing the currency and leasing mint rights to foreign — often Jewish and Muslim — administrators, a practice so resented by the Hungarian nobility that it became a central grievance in the 1222 Golden Bull, Hungary's foundational constitutional document.
The obol denomination served fractional daily commerce while larger monetary policy collapsed around it.