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Pfennig - Frederick or Ulrich II County of Cilli
| Issuer | County of Cilli (Austrian States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1436-1456 |
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| Currency | Pfennig (1400-1500) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Quartered shield bearing the arms of the Counts of Cilli: the first and fourth quarters display three golden stars arranged on a blue field (arms of the Counts of Heunburg), while the second and third quarters bear two horizontal bars in white on a red field (arms of the Freemen of Sanneck). The shield is set within a trefoil frame, with Gothic foliate ornaments occupying the outer spandrels. The design is struck in a bold, if somewhat irregular, late Gothic hammered style typical of Austrian provincial issues of the mid-fifteenth century. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Uniface issue; the reverse is entirely blank, bearing no design, inscription, or decorative element, with a slightly concave and uneven surface resulting from the hammered striking technique. |
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| Additional information |
The counts of Cilli were among the most powerful magnates in the Holy Roman Empire during this period, briefly elevated to princes of the empire in 1436 — the very year this issue begins. That elevation was Frederick II's political masterstroke, extracted from Emperor Sigismund under duress, and the minting rights that came with it underpinned these small silver pieces. The dynasty died with Ulrich II in 1456, assassinated in Belgrade by Hungarian nobles, ending both the comital line and this coinage simultaneously.