Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Pfennig - Adalbert of Bohemia
| Issuer | Bishopric of Gurk (Austrian States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1170-1200 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Round (irregular) |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Central design depicts two standing figures flanking a central smaller figure or object, all rendered in a stylized Romanesque manner characteristic of 12th-century Austrian ecclesiastical coinage. The group stands upon a horizontal bar or altar-like base ornamented with four pellets or globules in a row. A cross or rosette device appears above the central grouping, and the entire composition is enclosed within multiple concentric beaded or rope-pattern circles. The overall field is plain, with no legend present. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse displays a large stylized letter or architectural motif — likely a bishop's crozier or ecclesiastical initial — rendered in bold, deeply struck relief within a plain field. The design is surrounded by multiple concentric incuse or raised rope-pattern rings, typical of Romanesque bracteate-influenced pfennig coinage of the Bishopric of Gurk. The strike is irregular, consistent with hand-hammered production, and flan irregularities are evident at the edges. No legend or inscription is present. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The Bishopric of Gurk was founded in 1072 by Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg, and its early coinage reflects the fractured monetary authority of the southern Alpine region during the Investiture Contest's long aftermath. Adalbert, whose episcopate falls within this striking period, presided over a see that held unusual independence from the Archbishopric of Salzburg despite its origins as a Salzburg foundation.
The CNA reference places this among the bracteate-influenced pfennigs of Carinthia, a regional minting tradition distinct from the thinner bracteates of northern Germany.