Talk:Cologne mark

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

	This article is part of the WikiProject Numismatics, which is an attempt to facilitate the categorization and creation of accurate and formal Numismatism-related articles on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate please visit the project page, where you can join and see a list of open tasks to help with.
Stub	This article has been rated as Stub-Class on the quality scale.
Mid	This article has been rated as mid-importance on the importance scale.

Is there any information on why it’s named after Cologne? GJK 13:01, 14 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] The mark of Cologne

I suppose the mark of Cologne may have been introduced as a standard in Norway by King Hans in the late 1400s, but that is not its origin. I don't know who wrote this article (stub?) and I don't quite know what to do.

The mark, 3600 grains (~233g), was in use as a monetary standard in the middle ages by a number of Germanic tribes. Presumably in Roman times as well. Cologne was a Roman city established as the capital of the allied Ubii tribe when they moved across the Rhine for protection from hostile tribes. Maybe the Ubii were the original keepers of this mark before moving to Cologne. Maybe the standard moved to Cologne after the fall of Rome, or when Postumus carved out the Gallic Empire.

I have been unable to tell if the original Saxon sceat was defined by the mark, but it seems likely to me. At 20 grains it would've been 1/180 of a mark. Most of the Germanic tribes using the mark as the silver standard also used the schilling of Cologne, 1/120 of a mark (1.95g).

The Gottmark was an alternate standard in some use around the Baltic, by the Ostrogoths, and perhaps the Visigoths. RgoNaut 17:46, 22 September 2006 (UTC)