German penny from Gittelde

A German penny struck in Gittelde. The coin was struck jointly by Count Dietrich III of Katlenburg and Archbishop Hartwig von Sponheim of Magdeburg (dated 1079–1102). On the front of the coin is a man shown from the front, holding a sword in his right hand, with his left hand raised to the level of his face, possibly as a sign of taking an oath. On the back is a church with three towers.

The coin was found under a rock in Kuolajärvi, Salla, in 1839. It was part of the larger Aatservainen hoard, which included more than 170 coins along with jewellery, a set of scales and weights. The objects in the hoard had been hidden sometime after 1110. A state official visiting the area bought the hoard and gave it to the collections of the University of Helsinki. However, in the early 19th century, items found in hoards were not kept together; for example, coins were arranged in systematic collections according to their types. For this reason, some of the 19th century coin finds have been mixed up.