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Denier - Pepin the Short
| Issuer | Unified Carolingian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 751-768 |
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| Currency | Pound (751-843) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays a partial retrograde Latin legend arranged within the irregular flan, typical of early Carolingian deniers struck under Pepin the Short. The lettering, executed in the hammered technique, is set within the field without a surrounding border, with the characters showing the characteristic retrograde orientation noted in this emission. The die workmanship is rough yet deliberate, consistent with provincial Frankish minting practices of the 751–768 period. Pellet ornaments appear in the field alongside the abbreviated inscription. |
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| Additional information |
Pépin III seized the Frankish throne in 751 with papal backing, deposing the last Merovingian king Childeric III, who was tonsured and sent to a monastery. The coinage reform that followed broke decisively from Merovingian practice — Pépin standardized the denier on a heavier weight standard, centralizing production under royal authority in a way his predecessors had never managed. This was not merely administrative tidiness; it was a direct assertion that coin production belonged to the king, not the church or local magnates who had effectively controlled Merovingian minting.
Morrison's classification of this type reflects the ongoing scholarly difficulty in attributing specific dies to specific mints across Pépin's reign, as mint signatures were inconsistent before Charlemagne's later reforms locked the system down.