1/2 Thaler - Frederick II

Frederick II's monetary reforms of the 1750s left Prussia with a debased wartime coinage that needed systematic replacement once the Seven Years' War ended. The 1764 issues were part of that postwar recoinage effort, conducted under the revised Graumannscher Münzfuß standard that Frederick had originally adopted in 1750 before wartime exigency forced him to quietly lower silver content. The .750 fineness here reflects the compromise standard that emerged — cleaner than the worst war issues, but never returning to the pre-war ideal.

Kluge's FrII#140.1 designation distinguishes the earliest die pairing within this emission.