1 Goldgulden - William II

Berg was a small Rhenish county whose counts gained minting rights largely through proximity to the ecclesiastical mints of Cologne. William II issued these goldgulden in direct imitation of the Florentine florin type then dominating trans-Alpine trade, a necessity for any lord hoping to conduct serious commerce along the Rhine corridor. The weight standard — closely tracking the 3.54g Florentine norm — was no accident; deviation would have meant rejection at the Cologne and Frankfurt fairs.

William II was elevated to Duke of Berg in 1380, the same year this issue begins, making these coins products of a newly dignified mint.