Catalog
Pfennig - Leopold III, Leopold IV or Henry II
| Issuer | Margraviate of Austria (Duchy of Austria, Austrian States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1130-1140 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Enthroned secular ruler depicted in full frontal view, seated on a bench-type throne; the right hand raises a sword and the left hand bears a banner-lance with pennant. The effigy is enclosed within a ringed border set between two concentric circles of pellets, forming a characteristic Romanesque double-beaded frame typical of 12th-century Austrian bracteate-influenced pfennigs. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The attribution to three possible rulers — Leopold III, Leopold IV, or Henry II — reflects a genuine impasse in Austrian medieval numismatics. Dendrochronological and documentary evidence places this issue squarely within a decade of intense dynastic consolidation, when the Babenberg margraves were pressing Vienna into shape as an administrative center, but die studies have not yet resolved which of the three men commissioned the striking.
CNA B21 remains the anchor reference for this type. Specimens turn up almost exclusively in Austrian hoard contexts.