1/2 Thaler - Frederick III

Frederick III became Elector of Brandenburg in 1688, inheriting a state still rebuilding from the Thirty Years' War but determined to punch above its diplomatic weight. By 1692 he was deep in negotiations with Emperor Leopold I, trading military support during the Nine Years' War for the one thing he wanted most: royal status. That elevation came in 1701, when he crowned himself King in Prussia in Königsberg — a title carefully worded to avoid direct conflict with Polish sovereignty over Royal Prussia.

Coins of this period carry the electoral title he held at striking, making them strictly pre-regal issues despite the ambition already visible in his court's posturing.