Penny of Archbishop Pilgrim of Cologne

A German penny struck in Andernach by Pilgrim, Archbishop of Cologne from 1021 to 1036. The front face has four half-arches that form a cross with the text. The horizontal letters are PILIGR, and the vertical letters in the middle are IM – VS. On the back there is a diagonal cross between two dots inside a building or a gate.

Cologne has been an important minting location since the 10th century. Many different types of pennies struck in Cologne are known, and both emperors and archbishops struck coins there. Pennies struck by Archbishop Pilgrim alone and jointly with Emperor Conrad II, as well as their different variations, are common types of coins from Cologne.

The Pilgrim penny presented here is part of a Viking Age hoard found in Selkäsaari, Valkeakoski, in 1929 or 1930. Hidden sometime after 1006, the hoard included approximately 600 coins, 42 of which are known. The unknown finder sold the contents of the hoard to a goldsmith in Hämeenlinna, who in turn distributed the coins to various parties.