This is a tremissis from the time of the Merovingians, yonder dynasty that ruled the Frankish Empire from the 6th to the 8th century, and during that time posed a significant power in Central Europe. The coin was supposedly minted around 625. From 498, the year of the legendary baptism of Clovis, the first Frankish King, the Franks were of Christian belief. This is why their coins often depicted a Christian cross on the reverse – which is only one feature that proves the influence of Eastern Roman coinage on Frankish money. In the course of the 7th century, the gold content of European gold coins sank continuously. Hence in the 8th century, the issue of gold was abandoned, and replaced by the minting of silver coins. From then on the silver denarius (pfennig, or penny) began its advance in Central and Western Europe.