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Pfennig 'Vierzipfliger Löwenpfennig'
| Issuer | Counts of Habsburg-Laufenburg |
|---|---|
| Year | 1300 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Within a plain circular border, a rampant lion passant to the left occupies the central field, rendered in a bold, stylized manner characteristic of late 13th- to early 14th-century South German bracteate-influenced pfennig coinage. The lion's mane is depicted with a beaded or ruffled treatment around the head, and the body shows schematic muscular detail typical of the Vierzipfliger type. The flan exhibits the characteristic four-pointed or four-pinched irregular outline giving the type its name. No legend or inscription is present. The die-work is typical of the Habsburg-Laufenburg workshop, with strong relief on a thin hammered silver planchet. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is uniface or shows only an incuse or flat impression resulting from the hammered striking technique on a thin silver flan, with no distinct design element visible. As is typical of Vierzipfliger pfennigs of this period, the reverse presents a plain or slightly striated surface corresponding to the anvil side of the hammering process. No legend, figure, or ornamental device is discernible on this side. |
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| Additional information |
The Counts of Habsburg-Laufenburg represented a cadet branch of the Habsburg dynasty formed after the 1232 partition of family holdings, perpetually overshadowed by the senior Austro-Habsburg line. By 1300 their territorial grip on the Upper Rhine was already slipping — Laufenburg itself would eventually pass entirely out of their hands. These bracteate-style pfennigs were struck at fractional weights that make even lightly circulated survivors extremely fragile, and losses to simple handling have been severe over seven centuries.