1/4 Ducat - Frederick William I

Frederick William I ascended the Prussian throne in 1713, immediately dismantling the extravagant court apparatus his father Frederick I had built — slashing expenditure, dismissing hundreds of courtiers, and redirecting funds toward the military. The brief window of 1714–1716 for this fractional ducat likely reflects transitional minting priorities as the new king reorganized state finances along his characteristically austere lines.

The .986 fineness places this well above the ducat standard many contemporaries were quietly debasing.