Obol - Wilbrand of Oldenburg Deventer

Wilbrand of Oldenburg was elected Bishop of Utrecht in 1227 after a career that included a documented pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1212, during which he produced one of the more detailed Western accounts of Crusader-era fortifications. His tenure at Utrecht was administratively contentious — the bishopric's monetary rights were perpetually contested by local secular lords throughout the thirteenth century. At 0.28 grams, this obol represents the fractional end of a billon coinage already debased well below earlier Carolingian standards.