1/8 Thaler - August I

August I consolidated Saxon coinage during his reign through a series of deliberate monetary reforms, bringing the fractional thaler denominations into closer alignment with the Leipzig Foot — the weight standard that Saxony helped establish and that several neighboring territories would eventually adopt. The 1/8 thaler sat at an awkward commercial position, too small for major transactions but too large for everyday petty exchange, which kept circulation relatively light.

Surviving examples from the earlier part of the striking window tend to show less wear than those from the 1570s, when trade through Leipzig's fairs intensified considerably.