1 Dreier

Issued during the Kipper- und Wipperzeit — the catastrophic currency debasement crisis that swept the Holy Roman Empire between roughly 1619 and 1623 — this small Hannover Dreier belongs to one of the most chaotic episodes in early modern monetary history. Municipalities, princes, and minor lords across the Empire raced to mint debased coinage, pocket the seigniorage, and pass the losses downstream. By 1622 the crisis had reached its worst, with exchange rates collapsing and ordinary commerce grinding toward barter.

Hannover's city coinage from this window is notably short-lived; municipal minting authority was curtailed as Imperial attempts to stabilize the currency took hold through 1623.