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Small Agnel - William II of Sombreffe
| Issuer | Lordship of Reckem |
|---|---|
| Year | 1407-1443 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Agnel |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A floriate triple cross occupies the center of the design, with a rosette at the intersection and fleurs-de-lis in each of the four angles. The entire composition is set within a polylobe border with cusped corners, and eight small fleurs-de-lis are distributed in the surrounding field between the lobes. The overall design follows the standard agnel reverse type common to Low Countries feudal gold coinage of the period. The circumferential legend in uncial Latin script proclaims the traditional Christus Vincit formula. |
| 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 Lordship of Reckem was a minor feudal holding in the southern Low Countries, and its gold coinage from this period is notable precisely because such small lordships had no business striking gold at all. The agnel type — originally a French royal form — was widely imitated across the feudal patchwork of the Low Countries throughout the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, each lord adapting it under whatever monetary privileges, real or asserted, they could claim.
William II of Sombreffe's tenure at Reckem was long, and the 36-year span attributed to this issue reflects the difficulty of pinning down exact dates for minor feudal coinages where documentary evidence is sparse.