1/2 Pfennig - Henry LXII

Reuss-Schleiz was one of the smallest and most administratively peculiar of the German microstates, with a ruling dynasty that numbered all male heirs sequentially across all branches — hence the improbable "LXII." Henry LXII reigned from 1818 until his death in 1854, presiding over a territory of roughly 320 square kilometers and a population that never exceeded 25,000. A coin of this denomination was the smallest unit the state issued, and its practical purchasing power was nearly negligible even at the time of striking.

German customs union (Zollverein) pressure during the 1830s and 1840s was already pushing minor states toward monetary standardization that would eventually render independent issues like this one obsolete within a generation.