Thalers of the Pre Empire German States Chapter 6 An introduction to Thaler denominations: A. In these "Thalers of the Pre Empire German States" Chapters you'll see denominations on the coins reading Thaler (aka Taler), Vereinsthaler, Vereinsdopplethaler, Reichsthaler, Conventionsthaler (aka Konventionsthaler) and Kronensthaler. I. Thaler and Veriensthaler: b. The Vereinsthaler was introduced in 1857 to replace the previous standard Thaler (based on the Prussian Thaler) which was very slightly heavier. Whilst the earlier Thaler had contained one fourteenth of a Cologne mark of silver (16.704 grams), the Vereinsthaler contained 16 2/3 grams of silver, which was indicated on the coins as one thirtieth of a pound (pfund, equal to 500 grams). i. The Vereinsthaler was used as the base for several different currencies. In Prussia and several other northern German states, the Vereinsthaler was the standard unit of account, divided into 30 Silbergroschen, each of 12 Pfennig. ii. Within the new German Empire, Vereinsthaler coins circulated as 3-Mark pieces until 1908 when they were withdrawn and demonetized. iii. Dopple translates from German to English as Double so a Dopplethaler is a Double Thaler or 2 Thaler coin. iv. Vereinsdopplethaler translates to Double Veriensthaler or a 2 Vereinsthaler coin v. In 1754 the monetary agreement between Austria and Bavaria in 1753 began the period of the Conventionsthaler, a Thaler set at 10 to equal one Cologne Mark of silver. Its weight was 28.0g with a fineness of 833.0. Over time this coin spread into a large portion of central and southern Germany. vi. In 1755 the Kronensthaler was first issued in areas controlled by the Habsburgs, especially in the Netherlands and Southern Germany. It had a weight of 29.44g and a fineness of 873.0. II. In the Holy Roman Empire, the Thaler was used as the standard against which the various states' currencies could be valued. One standard, introduced by Prussia, was the Reichsthaler, which contained one fourteenth of a Cologne mark of silver. When the German Empire came into being in 1871, 38 German States (of about 1800) still existed. When the German Empire was formed a new major currency emerged along with the new nation; the Mark. All minor coins and the silver 1 Mark were struck at government owned mints, but 38 of the Free German States were given the right to authorize the issuing of silver coins in denominations of 2, 3, and 5 Mark plus gold coins of 10 and 20 Mark. These, too, had to be struck by a nearby government mint. The previous major currency was the Thaler, its subdivisions and multiples as already mentioned, which were minted by the individual States' own mints or at neighboring German States' mints. The minor coinage of both major denominations consisted of Pfennig and multiples of Pfennigs. A few of the German States issued coins bearing the denomination Dreiling which translates to 3 Pfennigs. Many German States produced variable fractional Thalers of which a few German States (i.e. Prussia) referred to as Groshen and Silbergroshen. In Germany, the name Groschen (both singular and plural) replaced "schilling" as the common name for a 12 Pfennig coin. In the 18th Century it was used predominantly in the northern states as a coin worth 1/24 of a Reichsthaler (equal to 1/32 of a Conventionsthaler). In the 19th century, beginning in 1821 in Prussia, a new currency system was introduced in which the Groschen (often called the Silbergroschen or Neugroschen to distinguish it from the older Groschen) was worth 1/30 of a Thaler. Following German unification and decimalization, the Groschen was replaced by the 10 Pfennig coin and Groschen remained a nickname for the 10 Pfennig coin until the introduction of the Euro. As we look at the Thaler Currencies of the German States we will visit each entity in alphabetical Order. We started with A for Anhalt-Bernberg. then went on to Anhalt-Kothen and progressed to Anhalt-Dessau, then back-tracked to Aachen. Our last posting stayed with the letter A, but after setting things right in our quest of seeking out the Thaler Coinage issued by Pre Empire German States, we found ourselves face to face with the Thaler coinage of Altenburg. We now return to the Anhalt era with the Thaler coinage of Anhalt-Zerbst: Here's a map showing the location of Anhalt-Zerbst territories (Sachsen-Anhalt, Landkreis Zerbst):: MAP SHOWING SACHEN-ANHALT, LANDKREIS ZERBST TERRITORY NOTE: all following coin photos are courtesy of Coin Archives. This Reichsthaler, dated 1621, was struck during the last year of Rudolf's leadership of Anhalt-Zerbst: ANHALT-ZERBST 1621 REICHSTHALER - RUDOLF 1679 is the year this 2/3 Thaler was authorized by Anhalt-Zerbst, Brandenburg and Nachbarn during the third year of the leadership of Carl Wilhelm: ANHALT-ZERBST, BRANDENBURG AND NACHBARN 1679 2/3 THALER - CARL WILHELM This is one of those special coins you may have never realized was produced by any of the German States. It was minted in 1742 bearing the busts of Johann Ludwig and Christian August on the obverse: ANHALT=ZERBST 1742 2/3 THALER - JOHANN LUDWIG AND CHRISTIAN AUGUST This coin of Anhalt-Zerbst, struck in 1764, bears another denomination other than Pfennig, Dreiling, Silbergroshen, or Thaler. Its denomination, like the Thaler and Vereinsthaler is based on a portion of the Convention Mark (Marck). Its face value is 12 Groot. If you never heard of it nor seen one, you will now: ANHALT-ZERBST 1764 12 GROOT - FRIEDRIKE AUGUSTE This is another Groot coin minted in Ahalt-Zerbst, Furstenrum (Principality) in 1764 under Friedrike Auguste's leadership, but its denomination is 4 Groot equal to 16 Pfennig: ANHALT-ZERBST 1764 4 GROOT - FRIEDRIKE AUGUSTE This coin was struck in 1767 and bears the denomination of 16 Pfennig. It is a production of Anhalt-Zerbst, Furstentum during the 20th year of Friedrike Auguste's leadership: ANHALT-ZERBST, FURSTENTUM 1767 16 PFENNIG - FRIEDERIKE AUGUSTE This specimen was minted in 1798 under the last year of Friederike Auguste's leadership: ANHALT-ZERBST 1798 REICHSTHALER - FRIEDRICKE AUGUSTE Hope you enjoyed this "trivia" post. To be continued... Clinker
Fully agreed! As for the map, while that modern gives you a rough idea of where the principality of Anhalt-Zerbst was, it suggests a "contiguous" territory that the old principality did, like most countries in the Holy Roman Empire, not really have. What the map shows is the Landkreis (county) of Anhalt-Zerbst that existed until 2007. As for the word "Groschen", that is derived from the "denarius grossus", ie. "thick penny". And yes, in a way the Groschen drove the name Schilling out. Interestingly, in Austria before the euro, both "schilling" and "groschen" were official currency unit names ... with 100 groschen being 1 schilling. So instead being "equal", one was now worth a hundred times more than the other. Christian
