Dubbele taler van kardinaal Matthaeus Lang van Wellenburg, aartsbisschop van Salzburg en bisschop van Gurk 1522

This silver coin was made by Ulrich Ursenthaler, depicting Matthaeus Lang von Wellenburg, a cardinal and archbishop during the early 16th century. The method for minting coins like this was well established by this time, with dies carefully engraved in steel, and then used to strike the image into a metal blank. Look closely and you can see the fine detail achieved. The silver would have been sourced from mines and smelted. Then, formed into ingots, rolled into sheets, and cut into blanks before striking. The process involved multiple workers, each with their own specialized skills. It's important to remember that a coin like this wasn't just money. It was also a piece of propaganda. The portraits, inscriptions, and heraldry were carefully considered, intended to broadcast the power and legitimacy of the Church. By considering the material and how it was processed, we gain insight into the social conditions of its time.