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Pfennig - Engelbert or Henry IV Friesach
| Issuer | Duchy of Carinthia (Austrian States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1125-1135 |
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| Composition | Silver |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Frontal ducal effigy rendered in a naturalistic Romanesque style, depicted facing forward with a raised sword held upright in the left hand and a banner or gonfalon grasped in the bent right hand. The bust is presented in high relief characteristic of early medieval hammered coinage, with stylized drapery suggesting ducal regalia. The figure occupies the central field of the flan, with no surrounding legend. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Friesach, in what is now the Austrian state of Carinthia, became one of the most important minting centers in the eastern Alpine region from the early twelfth century onward. The so-called Friesacher Pfennig circulated across a remarkably wide area — Slovenia, Hungary, and the broader Adriatic trade zone — functioning as the dominant silver currency of the region for well over a century. Attribution of the earliest issues to either Engelbert or Henry IV remains contested; the archbishopric of Salzburg held minting rights at Friesach, complicating questions of ducal versus ecclesiastical authority over these pieces.