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Sterling - John II of Avesnes
| Issuer | Hainaut, County of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1280-1290 |
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| Composition | Silver |
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| Obverse description | Facing effigy of Count John II of Avesnes depicted in a bold, stylised medieval manner, with a frontal bust rendered within an inner beaded circle. The count wears a floral or foliate crown — characteristic of the rose-crown type associated with Hainaut sterlings of this period — with curling hair visible at the sides of the face. The facial features are schematically rendered with large eyes, a prominent nose, and a wide neck, conforming to the Anglo-inspired sterling die-cutting tradition. The surrounding legend, separated by mullets, reads ✠ ⁑ I ⁑ COMЄS ⁑ hAnOnIЄ, identifying the issuer as John, Count of Hainaut. |
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| Obverse lettering | ✠ ⁑ I ⁑ COMЄS ⁑ hAnOnIЄ . (Translation: John, Count of Hainaut) |
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| Additional information |
John II inherited Hainaut in 1280 following decades of dynastic entanglement between the houses of Avesnes and Dampierre — a rivalry so bitter it had drawn in the kings of France and Germany as arbiters. His sterlings were struck in deliberate imitation of the English penny, a format that had penetrated northern French and Low Countries commerce so thoroughly that local lords found it commercially necessary to produce compatible coinage. The English prototype's dominance in regional trade circuits was the direct reason this type exists.