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Obol - Louis I Melle mint, minting tools
| Issuer | Unified Carolingian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 814-818 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | A plain cross occupies the central field, rendered in bold relief characteristic of early Carolingian hammered coinage. Surrounding the cross, a circular Latin legend in large, somewhat irregular capital letters reads the imperial name and title. The lettering is positioned close to the coin's edge, filling the available field around the central device. The overall style reflects the standardised Carolingian reform coinage type introduced under Louis the Pious, with a flat, unadorned field typical of ninth-century Frankish minting practice. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | ✠ HLVDOVVICVS IM (Translation: Emperor Louis.) |
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| Additional information |
Louis the Pious inherited a monetary system his father had thoroughly reformed, and these early years of his reign represent the first emissions struck entirely under his own authority rather than a continuation of Charlemagne's dies. The Melle mint was among the most productive in the Carolingian west, drawing on the argentiferous lead deposits of the Poitou region — one of the few indigenous silver sources in Francia that could sustain significant coinage output without relying on melted foreign material.
The "minting tools" type is understood to reference workshop imagery tied to the mint's identity rather than royal iconography, an unusual choice that sets Melle apart from the more politically assertive emissions of the same period at Dorestad or Tours.