GERMANY. Memmingen (Königliche Münzstätte). Welf VI, 1150-1191. Vierzipfliger Pfennig (Silver, 18x19 mm, 0.48 g, 12 h), circa 1170-1175. Lion walking left; below, three pellets. Berger -. Cahn -. Heinz p. 116. Klein/Ulmer (CC) 270. Ulmer -. Wüthrich -. Rare and beautifully toned. Some areas of weakness, a small edge crack, otherwise, very fine.


For a long time, researchers struggled to pin down the attribution of this piece. Its place of origin was alternately sought in Biberach, Nördlingen, and even in northern Switzerland. Heinz’s insightful analysis of the Coin Hoard of 1180, however, has made a strong case for Memmingen as the mint, which is now generally accepted for this rare type.

The decisive breakthrough came with the sale of a comparable specimen featuring the clearly legible inscription ‘WEL-F’ (Sonntag 23, June 1, 2016, 1237). The issuing authority can only have been Welf VI - who resided primarily in Memmingen - Margrave of Tuscany and a political rival of the Hohenstaufen king Konrad III (cf. M. Heinz: Der Münzfund von 1180, Stuttgart 2019, p. 116).