1/2 Gulden - William I

Württemberg's half gulden coinage of this period was produced under the monetary framework of the South German Currency Union, a regional agreement struck in 1837 that standardized coin weights and fineness across Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden, and several smaller states. The gulden — rather than the Prussian thaler — was deliberately retained as the unit of account, a political signal that the southern kingdoms had no intention of deferring to Berlin on monetary matters.

William I reigned for over four decades and was notably resistant to Prussian dominance in German affairs until late in his life. His coins circulated freely across the union's member states by treaty obligation.