Pfennig - Lüthold II von Rötteln

Lüthold II served as Bishop of Basel during a period of intense friction between the episcopal lordship and the burghers of Basel, who were actively consolidating urban autonomy. His coinage was issued under the broad authority of the Imperial chancellery — Basel's bishops had held minting rights since a grant by Henry II in 1004. At 0.34g, these bracteate-style pfennigs represent the thinning that characterized Rhenish and Upper Rhine coinage across the mid-thirteenth century as silver content was stretched across expanding regional economies.