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Obol - Eberhard II Friesach
| Issuer | Archbishopric of Salzburg (Austrian States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1235-1246 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Obol (1/2) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Full-length frontal figure of a standing bishop in ecclesiastical vestments, depicted within a lozenge-shaped frame typical of Friesach bracteate-style coinage. The figure is rendered in low relief with crude but characteristic medieval die-cutting, arms slightly extended at the sides. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Incuse mirror image of the obverse, as characteristic of thin hammered bracteate-style pfennigs; the design shows a frontal head or bust set beneath a church gable flanked by two towers, with a cross motif below, all rendered in shallow incuse relief on this single-sided or near-single-sided flan. |
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| Additional information |
Friesach, in Carinthia, was one of the most important minting centers in the German-speaking lands during the high medieval period, and the pfennigs and obols struck there circulated far beyond the Alps — archaeologically attested as far east as Hungary and the Baltic. Eberhard II held the archbishopric through a politically turbulent stretch that included ongoing friction with the Babenberg dukes and active participation in the affairs of the Staufen imperial court. The obol, struck at half the weight of the pfennig, served small-denomination exchange in a regional economy where silver by weight still drove most transactions.