City of Wiedenbrück 3 pfennig with wheel countermark, 1692?

Got this as part of a lot of 6 mixed older unidentified coppers for $5 each a couple years ago. I haven't found an exact match on Numista, and my Krause only has pictures of some of the various types, with the enigmatic "varieties exist." This one on MA Shops looks very similar. Hard to know which way is up on this coin as well...

I'm curious about the wheel countermark. Anyone know anything about coins from Wiedenbrück or why they were stamped?

 

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Very interesting! I think we're going to have to get someone who has a reference for this coin and city in German. I don't think KM will provide sufficient detail. When I first saw your post, the wheel brought to mind Mainz. However, my KM says the wheel represents Osnabruck, with which Wiedenbruck had a "close association."

In my 6th edition, SCWC, 1601-1700, on page 1001, is the first picture of a coin that looks like yours I've seen. It doesn't have the counter mark, but it has those leaves or rays or whatever they are around the edge on the reverse (left picture). It looks just like yours - including inscription - and is dated 1691.

I wonder if the counter stamp on the reverse (the left picture) was because of a new head of the seminary at Wiedenbruck, or a new bishop in Osnabruck.

In any case, thanks for sharing, and I so much look forward to hearing from others much more knowledgeable than I.

David

 

My library is still in boxes from a recent move, but the wheel counter mark is reminiscent of Osnabruck (although Mainz was my first thought, too) I think @DEA provided a very plausible explanation.

 

As stated by @Oldhoopster Osnabruck used the wheel design. That's why it looked familiar to me.

 

Well, I dusted off the old Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, and it offered some interesting tidbits for the period but it doesn't seem to fully support the theory that there was a new bishop in Osnabruck based on the possible date of 1691.

First, interesting tidbit: "By an odd proviso of the Peace of Westphalia, all future bishops of Osnabruek were to be alternately Catholic and Protestant." The treaty was signed in 1648.

Then, if 1691 is accurate, Ernst August I of Hannover was the bishop from 1662-98; then Karl Josef of Lorraine was bishop from 1698-1715.

So, putting those two facts together, maybe the new bishop, Karl, counter marked them? I would really like to know.

 

I too have a countermarked German coin. Mine is from Lippe. It has two rose countermarks, both applied at different times. The uncountermarked coin was issued by one prince of Lippe, the first countermark was applied by his successor, but the third was too, so I assume the first was because of a change in authority, but I am clueless as to why a second was needed. I recently acquired a German Krause catalogue and as I mull through it, I hope to piece together some information for my coin and hopefully yours! NGC does have a specific date for each countermark, so I'll dig into what happened those years!

 

Interestingly, in the Krause catalogue, I can't find Wiedenbruck. I did find a small section in Bentheim-Texklenburg-Rheda. Rheda is now Rheda-Wiedenbruck. What the catalogue shows is a local coinage minted for the lordship of Rheda about the same time as this coin. But it's not this coin!

What I was able to find out regarding my coin was the first countermark was placed the first year of a new mint master. Though I'm at a loss for the second as he was mintmaster then too. Oddly, it only shows the 6pf. as having a countermark.

I find it odd that it's not in the catalogue. I was able to find multiple examples on ma-shops, many referencing Kinnepohl. I found this book "Die Münzen von Osnabrück, Die Prägungen des Bistums und des Domkapitels Osnabrück, sowie des Kollegiatstiftes und der Stadt Wiedenbrück" or The coins of Osnabrück, the coinage of the diocese and the cathedral chapter of Osnabrück, as well as the collegiate foundation and the city of Wiedenbrück. What many don't know is I love a good reference book, so I bought a copy of the book online! I'm slowly building up my German reference collection. So, when the book arrives, I'll delve, with the assistance of Google translate, into your coin.

 

Neat stuff. If a waste of your time, my apologies. Here's what I extracted from my copy of Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II. Under the alphabetical place names listing, we have "WIEDENBRUGGE (WIEDENBRUECK), Town and mint of the bishopric of Osnabrueck. Had its own local coinage circa 1596-1716."

Then, an outline of the history of Lippe's rulers, which I scanned and uploaded. I hope it helps answer at least one question, or provides a path to find more answers. Please keep us abreast of your findings, hypotheses, and reasonable guesses! Thanks.

 

Old hoopster still gets a like

 

The book came in and I can answer your question. Counterfeiting! In August 1702, the diocese of Osnabruck became concerned about the influx of fake Wiedenbruck coppers in commerce. The coins were ordered to be turned in and the genuine ones were counterstamped while the fakes were defaced and destroyed. Interestingly it looks like it was only the 3 pfennig stamped. Through researching, it seems as though the city struck only 6 denominations, with only two being struck the latter half of the 17th century (1 & 3 pfennig).
This counterstamping scenario played out a few hundred years before in a different manner in Germany. There were competing monetary systems and coins (domestic and foreign) were counterstamped to acknowledge which system they were on par with.
The German word for counterstamp is "gegenstempel" which is quite fun to say. Here's the image of the book page.

 

Wow, thanks for your determined follow-up! I had despaired of ever figuring out that enigmatic coin, so it's great to have an answer at last.