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1 Heller Hand heller
| Issuer | Frankfurt, Free imperial city of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1540 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Heller (1⁄480) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Within a raised circle, a cross with bifurcated ('v'-forked) arm terminals, each fork enclosing a raised pellet, forming a fourfold symmetrical ornamental cross. The circle is set within a concave rhombus formed by four curved inward-arching lines, the four resulting lunette-shaped fields each containing a prominent raised globule, all struck on a square klippe flan. |
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| Additional information |
Frankfurt's hand heller took its name from the open hand — the city's heraldic emblem — and circulated as the smallest silver denomination in a city whose financial infrastructure was already punching well above its weight. By 1540, Frankfurt's twice-yearly trade fairs were among the most important in the Holy Roman Empire, drawing merchants from across Europe and generating a constant demand for low-denomination coinage to handle small transactions. The city mint responded with issues like this one.
The heller denomination itself descended from the original Schwäbisch Hall pfennig, whose name it corrupted over two centuries of use across German-speaking territories.