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Pfennig - Johann II Senn von Münsingen
| Issuer | Bishopric of Basel |
|---|---|
| Year | 1335-1365 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Facing bust of the bishop in high relief, depicted wearing a mitre with decorative lappets and a cope; the face is rendered in a stylised, flat medieval manner typical of Basel episcopal bracteate-influenced coinage. Flanking the bust are abbreviated symbols or letters in the field, likely referencing the bishop's name or title. The coin exhibits the characteristic pinched-flan form of the Basel Pfennig, with a plain inner field and no surrounding legend. The overall design reflects the anonymous episcopal coinage tradition of the Upper Rhine region in the mid-fourteenth century. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Johann II Senn von Münsingen governed the Bishopric of Basel during one of the most turbulent stretches in its medieval history, navigating the competing pressures of the Habsburgs, the city of Basel itself, and the broader upheaval of the Black Death, which tore through the Rhine valley in 1348–49. Episcopal coinage of this period was minted at Basel under increasingly strained circumstances, as the bishop's temporal authority over the city was being steadily eroded — a process that would culminate in full civic independence by the fifteenth century. At 0.36g, these bracteate-influenced pfennigs were already a debased shadow of earlier episcopal silver issues.