Penny of Otto III from Cologne

A German penny struck in Cologne by Otto III, King of Germany and ruler of the Holy Roman Empire (983–1002). On the front of the coin is a cross with a dot in each corner. The back shows the symbols Ꞩ and A and the text COLONIA, which refers to the Imperial Mint of Cologne (Colonia in Latin). Coins struck in Cologne by Otto III are very common among the coins found in Finland. This type of coin was popular, and there were a lot of coins struck that imitated it.

The coin was included in a hoard found in Nikkilä, Nousiainen, in 1895, together with more than 1,600 coins and some silverware. A significant number of the coins in the hoard were German pennies, of which more than 1,100 were found, but there were also many English and Scandinavian coins as well as some Italian, Irish, Byzantine and Islamic coins. The hoard also included jewellery, such as rings and buckles. The objects had been hidden sometime after ca. 1045.