MAILLE: COIN OF FLANDERS
Maille, 1180-1220: County of Flanders
County of Flanders — one of the most powerful political entities in the medieval Low Countries, located on the North Sea coast of modern-day Belgium and north-eastern France. It was within the territory of the Kingdom of France. For centuries, the economic activity of the Flemish cities, such as Ghent, Bruges and Ypres, made Flanders one of the most affluent regions in Europe.
The coin does not contain a specified date (typical for European coins of the High Middle Ages), the name of the issuer, or the name of the ruler. However, for some reason, numismatic catalogs indicate a date for this maille in the format of 1180-1220. The reason for such dating is unknown to me.
Two triangles (one with rings at the apices, the other with fleur-de-lis) are arranged in a way that resembles a hexagram (six-pointed star): the compound of two equilateral triangles. — I find this symbolic composition very strange for a medieval Western European coin; I cannot explain the reasons and circumstances of this composition... I can only fantasize that this could be somehow connected with the Crusades of that time; although, if we are to speculate, the version about this plot as an echo of the historical heritage of the region seems more plausible: half a millennium before the appearance of this maille, the so-called hexagram sceattas were produced in these lands (by the way, each such hexagram sceat, in addition to the hexagram on the obverse, also contained a cross on the reverse.. perhaps this is just a coincidence).
A heraldic cross and a circle with four dots superimposed on each other. Around — rings with central dots.
A coin full of incomprehensible symbolism...
Ieper Mint (Belgium).
- Silver: 11 mm - 0.41 g
- Reference price: 70$
COIN MAILLE — WHERE & WHEN (coins catalog: by names & emitents)
- COUNTY OF FLANDERS (12th-13th centuries): maille = 2/3 mijt = 1/12 groot
- COUNTY OF ARTOIS (13th-16th centuries): maille
- COUNTY OF HAINAUT (13th century): maille
- COUNTY OF NAMUR (16th century): maille = 2/3 mijt
MAILLE as coin name.
Maille (also known as "Kleine denarius" or "Small denar") — miniature silver coin of Western Europe during the Middle Ages.
First of all, several types of coins of the County of Flanders of the 12th-13th centuries (the territory of modern Belgium and France) are known under the name "maille". Their obverses are diverse (a knight in armor, a symbolic triangle/triangles, a lion from the Flemish coat of arms, fleur-de-lis...), while the reverses contained a very popular medieval numismatic plot — the image of a cross. Maille of Flanders was 1/12 of the local groot and was issued at the mints of Bruges, Ghent, Lille, Ieper, Arras, Aire...
Maille coins of County of Artois (France), County of Namur and County of Hainaut (Belgium) of the 13th-16th centuries are also occasionally found at auctions.
In France, a variant of this coin, the so-called Maille Blanche (or "White Maille"), was minted in parallel.
The name maille comes from the French language and means a small coin or a minimum tax on this amount. The term maille specifically referred to coins that had a low denomination or value (the so-called small denars). In some regions, it also meant a tax or collection of a certain amount, usually modest.
