Catalog
Pfennig - Leopold III
| Issuer | Margraviate of Austria (Duchy of Austria, Austrian States) |
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| Year | 1120-1130 |
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| Diameter | 18 mm |
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| Obverse description | A crutch cross occupies the central field, with one pellet placed in each of the four inner angles formed by the cross arms. Above the pellets, the four quadrants display, respectively, a frontal head, an eagle, a hand, and the letter S. The entire design is enclosed within an outer beaded circle. The execution is characteristic of early medieval Austrian hammered coinage, with bold, stylized motifs typical of the Babenberg period. |
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| Mintage | ND (1120-1130) |
| Additional information |
Leopold III — later canonized in 1485 and adopted as patron saint of Austria — ruled the margraviate during a period of acute tension between the imperial and papal factions. His careful navigation of the Investiture Controversy, ultimately backing the compromise reached at the Concordat of Worms in 1122, gave Austria a political stability unusual for the region at that moment. Coins struck under his authority in this decade reflect a mint operating with some consistency rather than wartime disruption.
The CNA B2a classification places this among the earliest systematically catalogued Austrian bracteate-influenced pfennigs.