The hand or the glove?

To complement the Department of Art's last blog, "The Legacy of Robert and Rena Lewin," and to continue the dialog for the exhibition, "Classical and Medieval Numismatology," this blog, "The Hand or the Glove?" by Susan Colaricci Sauls shares an intimate interpretation of one of the coins on loan from the University of Southern Indiana.

The origin of the hand icon on the Händleinheller, the primary coin of commerce for the German district of Schwäbisch Hall during the 13th and 14th century, is traced back through two different stories.

The first origin story is supported through traditional religious imagery. The Jewish and subsequently the Christian traditions would use only the hand icon to represent God so as not to violate the commandment against creating graven images of the Almighty. When minting coin, the open or blessing hand would be place either alone or in context with a king or ruler. The bearer of the coin, it is believed, would in turn be blessed. i

The alternate origin story is traced back to the book of German customary law, the Sachsenspiegel (Saxon Mirror), compiled by Eike von Repgow around 1220 — 1235 CE. According to the book’s author the hand, or in this case the glove, is placed on the coin because,

“nobody shall establish a market or a mint without the consent of the judge in whose district it is situated. According to the law, the king shall also send his glove to indicate his approval”. ii

So the handheller had the endorsement of the king through the image of the glove.

Whether it was the hand or the glove, the Händleinheller survived the Bubonic Plague. Perhaps many years from now our coins will be revered for surviving COVID-19 and it’s variants.

This coin is from the University of Southern Indiana’s collection.

Susan Colaricci Sauls M’16

Director, University Art Collections University of Southern Indiana, Evansville

i https://www.educationalcoin.com/1300-austria-heller-right-hand-of-god.html

ii https://www.cointalk.com/threads/common-medieval-coins-info-thread.337725/