1/2 Ducat - William II and Frederick William Edergold

This piece was struck in the final year of William II's reign — he died in November 1847, but by 1835 was already largely incapacitated by illness, with his son Frederick William exercising co-regency and effectively directing the electorate's affairs. The dual-authority coinage reflects that awkward constitutional arrangement rather than any ceremonial intent. Hesse-Cassel's gold issues of this period were produced in small quantities relative to the electorate's silver output, making survivors in any condition genuinely scarce.