Bishop Johann von Merseburg, Bracteat (silver coin replica) 1151 - 1170 AD.
OBV: IOHANNES EPISCOPVS. Bust of sc. Johannes with holding palm leaf. Bust of bishop with book and crosier. The town in background. Below the passion of sc. Laurentius.

Bracteat from the Latin bractea = thin (planchet, flan). It is a single-sided coin struck on a very thin, button shaped, silver blank. A coin of 40 mm in diameter may weigh as little as 1 gram! The obverse relief of the Bracteat is deepened  and often decorated with several concentric circles. It is struck using only one (the upper) die and the bottom die is replaced by a strip of leather. The technique enables striking multiple pieces at the same time (3-4), which was used in the Middle Ages to make the coinage more effective. They were most popular and widely extended I the 12^th and 13^th century in Germany and Bohemia. German coinage in particular is distinguished for a wide scope of motifs and beautiful artistic execution. The name of the Bracteat itself dates back to the 17^th century and refers solely to the form of the coin, not its value.