The right to mint coins

The right to mint coins was a royal prerogative (See Sachsenspiegel and Schwabenspiegel, Landrecht Chapter 364). This prerogative was granted to Archbishops, Bishops, Monasteries, Dukes, Counts, and since 1216 also to cities (Annweiler in the Pfalz through Emperor Friedrich II).

Between 1197 and 1260, there were 414 mints in the Regnum Teutonicum (i.e., for the part of the Holy Roman Empire north of the Alps). As cities, only Annweiler, Bern, Lübeck, Mühlhausen, and Oppenheim. More than half (277 pieces) are secular dynasties (Nau, Seite 89).

Mints in the Constance Diocese (Nau 1977).

In the Tübingen region, it is likely that the two dominant silver coins of the 13th century were:

  • The Pfennig from Schwäbisch Hall
  • The Tübinger Pfennig

One of the listed mints can be found in Tübingen, where it is likely that the Tübinger Pfennig was also minted.

Most mints and their coins that emerged in the 13th century show no great spread or wide use. However, there are some exceptions like the coins from Cologne, Würzburg, Strasbourg, Augsburg, Regensburg, and Magdeburg, which also achieved a significant over-regional spread (Nau). A special exception is the Pfennig from Schwäbisch Hall. This was the dominant Pfennig in the late 13th century and replaced many other regional Pfennigs, including the Tübinger Pfennig.

Coin from Schwäbisch Hall (Heller)

The Pfennig from Schwäbisch Hall (also known as Heller) was the most successful South German coin type of the late 13th century. It absorbed until mid-13th century the Speyer, Worms, Mainz, Tübingen, Rottweil, Nuremberg, and Wetterau Pfennigs. Additionally, it achieved significant market penetration in the areas of Würzburg, Augsburg, Constance, and Cologne. It became like the new standard currency and had a relationship to the Cologne Pfennig of 3:1 (Nau, Seite 97). Due to its low silver content of about 50%, it was very popular for daily transactions and did not undergo coin debasement like other coins of little value (Matzke, S.69).

Silver Pfennig from Schwäbisch Hall (Heller) from an excavation find at St. Dionysius in Esslingen. Dated 1190-97 (Väterlein 1977, Fig. 115.17).

Imitation of a silver Pfennig from Schwäbisch Hall (Heller) 2nd quarter 13th century with 0.67g weight (Väterlein 1977, Fig. 115.18).

For the 13th century, most Pfennigs show a weight between 0.45g and 0.6g (most commonly around 0.55g) with a diameter of 17.75mm to 18.75mm (most commonly around 18.25mm).

Until around 1250, they featured on one side a hand in a ring and on the other an annulet cross with ball terminals and the inscription HALLE - F.R.I.S.A. (Fridericus rex imperator semper augustus). From around 1250 onwards, this inscription was omitted (Schrötter et al, S. 259).

For the Haller Pfennigs, it is likely that previously devalued Pfennigs were melted down and new Pfennigs struck from them (Matzke, S.106).

The following two photographs show preserved originals.

Find of an original Haller Pfennig from the state mint collection in Munich. Dated 1230-1270. 18.2mm diameter and 0.73g weight. Inventory number 13-0016

Find of an original Haller Pfennig, likely late quarter of the 13th century. 17.38mm diameter and 0.44g weight. State Museum for Prehistory Halle. Inventory number 8938:00022:3#3

Coin from Tübingen (Tübinger Pfennig)

The Tübinger Pfennig was minted by the Counts of Tübingen from the mid-12th century until around 1275 in Tübingen (Lorenz, Nau, Matzke, S.67). This is likely to have coincided with their role as both mints and mining authorities, giving them the right to process the silver extracted from their territories (Matzke, S.45).

Silver pfennig from Tübingen. Counts of Tübingen. 12th century with 0.53g weight (Väterlein 1977, Abb. 121.20).

Silver pfennig from Tübingen. Counts of Tübingen. 12th century with 0.53g weight (Väterlein 1977, Abb. 121.21).

It was spread across the Hornisgrinde, the northern rim of the Black Forest, and the eastern Alb up to Rottweil’s upper Neckar region (Matzke, S.61). Whether it also dominated in other territories of the counts of Tübingen (e.g., (e.g. Montfort in Vorarlberg or Gleiberg with Gießen an der Lahn)) is unclear (Lorenz, S.166).

4 Forms of the Tübinger Pfennig in chronological order (Lorenz, Abb.1)

The Tübinger Pfennig features a symbolic city depiction on its frontside, consisting of three towers and a fortified inner district. On the backside, a central square cross is depicted. In the second type, letters T, V, P, and N (T-V-P-N) are found between the crosses, which can be seen as an abbreviation for the minting site in Tübingen (Matzke, S.65). The diameter of the coins varies between 18 and 22 millimeters. Average weight: 0.57-0.62 grams, with a silver content of 0.48-0.52 grams, corresponding to an fineness of approximately 850 (Lorenz, S.87). Metallographic examinations show a very constant silver content throughout the entire minting period. Only coins from the second half of the 13th century exhibit a reduced silver content, but with a higher overall weight (due to thicker material), which ensures a stable value over time (Matzke, S.106). Besides silver, Tübinger Pfennigs contain small amounts of gold, antimony (0.5-1%), lead (0.5-1%), and bismuth (0.05-0.2%).

Silver for Tübinger Pfenniges

In the mandate of argentini fodinis issued by King Heinrich VI on March 21, 1189, it was decreed that every silver find belongs to the Reich, to be counted among its treasures

et inter regalia nostra sit computata

Silver deposits that may have been used for Tübinger Pfenniges can be found in the northern Black Forest and are documented as being within the influence of the Counts of Tübingen in the 13th century:

However, it is likely that Tübinger Pfenniges were primarily minted from recycled silver (silver from older coins) and new silver from Freudenstatt-Dornstetten and Königswart. The city of Neubulach was founded by the Counts of Hohenberg in 1273/77, earliest mid-13th century, making it uncertain how much silver from Neubulach was used for Tübinger Pfenniges (Matzke, S.106). The Counts of Tübingen gave away and sold their rights to the Königswart in 1289, which coincides with the end of mining activities in this area and the decline of Tübingen’s minting.

For Neubulach, it is estimated that about 35 tons of silver were extracted. This was likely processed in the nearby Teinach Valley. Ore and slag remnants suggest that a silver smelter once stood near the current Badhotel in Bad Teinach (Meier)

Sources

  • Lorenz, Sönke (1992): Die Königswart. Tübinger Pfennig und Silberbergbau im Nordschwarzwald zur Zeit der Pfalzgrafen von Tübingen. In: Blätter für deutsche Landesgeschichte. Bd. 128. S.85 - 115
  • Matzke, Michael (2004): Mittelalterliche Bergbauprägungen in Südwestdeutschland? Numismatische und archäometallurgische Untersuchungen an Breisgauer, Tübinger und Wormser Pfennigen. In: Dirham und Rappenpfennig 2. Mittelalterliche Münzprägung in Südwestdeutschland. S. 43 - 173, Bonn, Dr. Rudolf Habelt GmbH
  • Meier, Heinrich (1982). Bergbau Neubulach 11.-20 Jahrhundert, Neuenbürg, 2. Aufl.
  • Meyerdirks, Uwe (2007): Medieval and early modern mining in the Northern Black Forest ( SW-Germany ) : An integrated historico-archaeological approach and its synergetic effects
  • Nau, Elisabeth (1977): Münzen und Geld in der Stauferzeit, in: Die Zeit der Staufer. Geschichte - Kunst - Kultur. Katalog der Ausstellung, Band III, Stuttgart, Württembergisches Landesmuseum
  • Schrötter, Friedrich v., N. Bauer, K. Regling, A. Suhle, R. Vasmer, and J. Wilcke (1970). Wörterbuch der Münzkunde. 2. Aufl., 2., Reprint 2012. Berlin, De Gruyter.
  • Väterlein, Christian (1977). Die Zeit der Staufer. Geschichte - Kunst - Kultur. Katalog der Ausstellung, Band II, Stuttgart, Württembergisches Landesmuseum