Since antiquity silver was the best known and most popular metal used for coins, since it was more plentiful than gold, making it possible to represent small values [2. 27–29, 77–104]. In the monetary reform of Charlemagne at the close of the 8th century, the bright precious metal was declared the basic material for coinage. Tied into the libra-solidus-denarius system (pound-shilling-pence system), the silver denarius (later denier) was the only…