Item number: A219

Year: AD 1252-1279

Material: Lead

Size: 25.3 x 25.3 x 0.1 mm

Weight: 0.7 g

Manufactured by: Brunswick, Germany

Provenance: Künker 2022

This is a coin known as a “Bracteate,” manufactured in Brunswick within the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire, dating from AD 1252 to AD 1279. The coin features two concentric circles, with a central totemic lion symbolising the duchy. At the top is the lion’s head, followed by its body in the middle, and at the bottom is a pedestal composed of a spherical bead. This lion emblem was adopted by the ancestors of the duchy a century earlier, under the reign of Henry the Lion, who served as the Duke of Saxony. Since Henry the Lion’s time, the lion has become the symbol of the city of Brunswick, where a bronze statue of a lion stands in the city centre.

In AD 1252, Albert the Tall succeeded his father as the ruler of the duchy, concurrently serving as the guardian of his younger brother, John. By AD 1264, when John reached adulthood and married, Albert adhered to tradition by dividing the territory of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg. John received the territory primarily centred around Lüneburg, while Albert reorganised the remaining portion into the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.

The type of coin known as a “Bracteate” was prevalent from the 12th century to the early 16th century and was commonly circulated in the Germanic and Scandinavian regions. Unlike coins from the Roman era, Bracteates were struck using only one die instead of two. These coins, made from soft materials such as lead or tin, would leave distinct impressions of the die’s outline on the reverse side after being struck.

During the 12th century within the Holy Roman Empire, numerous principalities coexisted, and the feudal system with its manorial holdings had yet to evolve beyond medieval norms. Economic activity largely stagnated at a primitive stage characterised by barter, with only a limited circulation of currency, often manufactured using inexpensive materials such as lead and tin. To collect taxes, rulers frequently declared old coins obsolete at intervals of two to three years. They established an exchange rate of four old coins for three new ones, thus reclaiming coins from the populace. Consequently, archaeologists seldom encounter coins from this period in hoard-like formations reminiscent of those from the Roman era because these Bracteate coins had expiration dates and were unsuitable for savings or wealth accumulation.

物件編號: A219

年代: 公元 1252-1279 年

材質: 鉛

尺寸: 25.3 x 25.3 x 0.1 mm

重量: 0.7 g

製造地: 不倫瑞克，德國

來源: 昆克 2022

這是一枚錢幣學稱作「布萊克梯特」形制的硬幣，於公元1252至1279年，在神聖羅馬帝國不倫瑞克-呂訥堡公國的不倫瑞克製造。錢幣上有兩個圓圈，中央有一隻象徵公國的獅子圖騰，最上方是牠的頭，中間是牠的身軀，最下方則是一個圓珠構成的高台。獅子圖騰由一個世紀以前公國的先祖，擔任薩克森公爵的獅子亨利採納。從獅子亨利以降，獅子就成為不倫瑞克這座城市的象徵，市中心更有一隻青銅製的獅子像。

公元1252年「高個兒阿爾伯特」接手父親的公國，同時是年幼的弟弟約翰之監護人。公元1264年，當幼弟約翰成年娶妻後，阿爾伯特按照風俗分割不倫瑞克-呂訥堡公國的領土。約翰分到呂訥堡為主的領地，剩餘部分由阿爾伯特改制為「不倫瑞克-沃爾芬比特爾親王國」。

這種稱作「布萊克梯特」的錢幣，於公元12世紀至公元16世紀初期，普遍流行於日耳曼和斯堪地那維亞地區。不同於羅馬時代的硬幣，錢幣兩面以不同沖模去打印。「布萊克梯特」僅以一個沖模打印，以鉛錫等柔軟材質為原料的錢幣經打印後，沖模的輪廓會在背面形成清楚的痕跡。

公元12世紀之際的神聖羅馬帝國境內，諸侯國林立且尚未擺脫中世紀的封建采邑，經濟多停滯在原始的以物易物，僅有少量貨幣流通和多以鉛錫等便宜的原料製造。統治者為徵稅以兩三年一度的頻繁頻率宣告舊硬幣作廢。並以四枚舊幣兌換三枚新幣的匯率，從民眾手中回收硬幣。因此考古學家較少發現該時期的硬幣以羅馬時代的窖藏形式出現，因為這些布萊克梯特硬幣有使用期限，不適合用作儲蓄和財富累積。