Pfennig - Dietrich

Dietrich II of Formbach ruled a small but strategically positioned county at the confluence of the Inn and Salzach rivers, and his coinage reflects the fragmented minting rights that characterized the German-speaking lands before imperial consolidation tightened control over lesser lords. Formbach itself was nearing the end of its dynastic line during this issue — the county was absorbed into the Duchy of Bavaria following the death of the last Formbach count in 1158, making this pfennig one of the final independent coinages the house would ever produce.