1 Ducat - George William

George William became Elector of Brandenburg in 1619, inheriting a territorially scattered state with no coherent military or financial policy — precisely the wrong moment, as the Thirty Years' War had opened the previous year. This ducat was struck at the very outset of his reign, before the full catastrophe of the conflict had reached Brandenburg's borders. He would spend the next two decades attempting neutrality in a war that made neutrality impossible, watching his territories occupied alternately by Imperial, Swedish, and Saxon forces.

The .986 fine standard aligns with the traditional ducat specification established by the Holy Roman Empire in 1559, though Brandenburg's minting output at this period was irregular enough that consistent weight maintenance was itself an achievement.