1⁄16 Thaler - Frederick IV

Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle was still absorbing the devastation of the Thirty Years' War when these pieces were struck — the Peace of Westphalia wasn't signed until October 1648, meaning the earlier dies were produced while the conflict was technically ongoing. Frederick IV had ruled Celle since 1636 and managed the duchy through some of its worst years of occupation and troop quartering. Small-denomination silver of this type circulated heavily in the postwar reconstruction economy, which goes some way toward explaining why survivors in presentable condition are scarce.