½ Friedrich d'Or - Frederick II

Frederick II resumed gold coinage in Prussia following the disruptions of the War of Austrian Succession, and the Friedrich d'Or series became the principal high-denomination gold currency of the Hohenzollern state through the Seven Years' War. The half denomination served everyday mercantile needs where a full Friedrich d'Or was too valuable for convenient exchange. By 1753, Frederick's treasury was under considerable strain financing his military ambitions, and gold coin production at the Berlin and Breslau mints ran at exceptional volumes to meet both domestic circulation and soldier pay demands.

The .903 fineness held consistent through this period, distinguishing Prussian gold issues from the debased coinage Frederick notoriously authorized for circulation in occupied Saxony during the Seven Years' War — his own domestic issues were never similarly compromised.