Austrian Pfenning help

stainless

What does the obverse and reverse of this coin read? also what would you grade it and what would the value be (not getting rid of it, just wondering):

this is what I know for sure:

Austrian Pfenning
silver
Ottokar II (1251-1276)
Vienna Mint
Ref: L68A (whatever this means)






thanks
stainless

lordmarcovan

Oh. Medieval.

You've lost me on that one, I'm afraid.

Is that a bracteate of some kind?

stainless

bracteate? :?

lordmarcovan

Bracteates are thin pieces with the same design on both sides (one side raised and the other incuse).

The designs on either side of a bracteate are "mirror images" of one another.

The linked Wikipedia article talks about gold but there were lots of silver bracteates in that part of Europe during the medieval period.

I can't really make out much of the design on yours, or tell if it would be a bracteate or not.

I took on the collecting of Roman coins in the past year and a half as sort of an "apprenticeship" to learn more about them, but I'm still mostly in the dark on the Dark Ages. I have a lot of learning left to do on medieval coins.

Sapyx

CoinArchives.com is an excellent place to search for mediaeval coins, especially German ones, since it's a database compilation of coin sales from brick-and-mortar auction houses, many of which are in Germany.

This search page is a good representation of the kinds of coins you're looking for, and a couple of bracteates as well. This particular coin isn't a bracteate, though it's so thin there's likely to be severe ghosting; it appears to be the same type as number 2 on that search page, here.

There's no text on this coin; it's so small, their die-engraving skills were so rudimentary, and so few of the populace could actually read, that they figured that it was best to simply draw pictures to identify the coin instead. The obverse (your top picture) is a cross inside a laurel wreath; the reverse (if I've IDed it correctly) shows a crowned lion.

The one on CoinArchives sold for US$14.

lordmarcovan

Sapyx, you're a genius.

Probably not the first time I've said that, nor will it likely be the last.

stainless

Thanks for the help Rob and Sapyx...man I learn something new everytime I am on here.


stainless

Rickc300

Austrian pfennig... I have 4 of these from the ruler before yours from a small hoard found in this area and all are similar to the one you pictured. Yours is later but seems more crude than mine? I would like to compare it with yours to see how size or silver weight changed in the time between the rulers... I have a total of eight of these (3 still not attributed) but they range in size a great deal but not so much in weight.

Value? about 20 dollars US give or take...
Rick