1⁄24 Thaler - Wolfgang II

Wolfgang II, Count of Barby-Mühlingen, ruled a territory so minor that its independent coinage was largely a statement of jurisdictional privilege rather than economic necessity. The right to mint — the Münzrecht — was jealously guarded by even the smallest German princes, and Wolfgang exercised it during a window that closed permanently when the county passed to Brandenburg-Ansbach after his line died out in 1659. The 1/24 Thaler denomination was the workhorse of the Kipper und Wipperzeit's lead-up period, and issues from petty Anhalt-adjacent counties like Barby are frequently encountered with inconsistent planchet preparation.