ca. 1250 - 1260 / Riedlingen
Two crossed rudders between four rosettes
Reverse: Incusum of the obverse
In the area of the Lake Constance and in Upper Swabia the denarius of Constance has been the local currency from the late 12th until the first third of the 14th century. In about 30 mints bracteates have been produced according to the specificationof the episcopal mint of Constance. Among many types that exist in large quantities, there are also some extremely rare pieces like the item presented here.
The bracteates of the Lake Constance area have a typical appearance that differs considerably from denarii of other monetary areas. Compared to many bracteates of central Germany their diameters ranging from 20 - 24 mm are rather small. The image area was confined by a ridge that usually has been surrounded by about 30 bosses in the early minting period until the middle of the 13th century. These bosses have been replaced by more refined patterns on later issues. The bracteate furnished here displays two rudders and two different pairs of escutcheons in the corners. The rudders hint at the medieval spelling of the mint's location: "Rudelingen" (The German word for "rudder" is "Ruder"). This extremely rare piece was part of a collection, whose departed owner had assembled a few single samples of rare bracteates from the Lake Constance area already in the 70ties and 80ties. Other samples of the type presented here have been offered at last in 1911 (A. Hess Nachf. 133; Slg. Erbstein), 1921 (A.E. Cahn 41; Slg. Kenzler) and 1922 (A.E. Cahn 46, Slg. Höfken II). Since 1922 this is probably the first item of such an bracteate that has been offered again in an auction.
From Premium-Auction 18 of Solidus Numismatik, July 15, 2017, Lot 336.
21 mm / 0,38 g