Abstract This article examines the emergence and diffusion of the crested helm as a numismatic motif across the Alpine–Balkan region between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries. Drawing on numismatic, heraldic, and sigillographic evidence, it argues that the helm’s appearance on coinage reflects a broader transformation in the visual languages of power and aristocratic identity. Initially rooted in the heraldic traditions of the Alpine and northern Italian worlds, the motif traveled along the commercial and diplomatic routes that connected these regions to the Danubian basin and the western Balkans. Its adoption by the mints of Bosnia and Serbia formed part of a deliberate strategy of political self-representation, aligning local rulers with wider European chivalric ideals while articulating dynastic autonomy in a contested geopolitical landscape. Through a close analysis of iconographic transmission and regional adaptation, this article demonstrates that the crested helm offers a unique lens through which to understand medieval political communication, mobility, and cultural interconnectedness.
Giulio Carraro (Fri,) studied this question.