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Pfennig 'Vierzipfliger Löwenpfennig'
| Issuer | Habsburg-Laufenburg, Counts of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1270 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered (bracteate) |
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| Obverse description | Single-sided bracteate-style pfennig struck on a thin silver flan with four characteristic pinched corners forming the 'Vierzipfliger' shape. Within a beaded inner circle, a rampant lion is depicted in relief facing right, rendered in the robust Romanesque stylistic tradition typical of Upper Rhenish coinage of the late 13th century. The lion's body is compact and powerfully modeled, with a curling tail and clearly articulated limbs and claws. The field surrounding the lion is plain, and the beaded border closely frames the central device. No legend or inscription is present on this type. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Laufenburg line of the Habsburgs split from the main family following the partition of Rudolf II's holdings in 1232, leaving the Laufenburg counts with Rhine bridgehead revenues but little else in the way of monetary infrastructure. This bracteate-derived pfennig type was struck as the line struggled to assert regional economic presence against the rising power of the elder Habsburg branch — the same branch that would, within a decade of this coin's striking, produce Rudolf I, elected King of Germany in 1273.
The Laufenburg counts were extinct by 1314, absorbed through inheritance. Surviving pfennigs attributable to this specific branch are few.