1/4 Ducat - Anthony III

The Counts of Montfort-Peggau occupied a peculiar position in the late Holy Roman Empire — a minor Swabian dynasty clinging to minting rights that larger neighbors had long absorbed or suppressed. Quarter ducats of this type were emergency-weight fractions, struck when full ducats were impractical for small transactions but silver coinage was distrusted. Anthony III's issues across this eight-year window show minor die variation consistent with hand-cut punches rather than a centralized imperial hub. The survival rate is low; these circulated hard in Alpine trade routes where gold fractions changed hands constantly.