1 Dreiling Gold Pattern

The Dreiling was Lübeck's smallest circulating copper denomination — a three-pfennig piece of negligible face value. Striking one in near-pure gold in 1752 was not a monetary act but a presentation gesture, almost certainly produced for a civic dignitary or as a Kunstkabinett curiosity. Such gold strikings of base-metal types were a persistent habit among the German free cities, used to mark occasions or curry favor without the formality of a true commemorative issue. At 0.89g, the blank alone would have cost more to produce than a roll of the copper originals.