Frederick William II inherited Prussian finances already strained by Frederick the Great's wars, and the small billon Gröschel was among the lowest-denomination coins produced for everyday petty transactions throughout his reign. The type ran continuously from 1787 until his death in 1797, struck across multiple Prussian mints — Berlin, Breslau, and Königsberg among them — with mint marks that matter considerably to specialists narrowing down specific emission years.
At 0.45g, these saw brutal daily use and survivors in any meaningful state of preservation are harder to locate than the run length suggests.
Frederick William II inherited Prussian finances already strained by Frederick the Great's wars, and the small billon Gröschel was among the lowest-denomination coins produced for everyday petty transactions throughout his reign. The type ran continuously from 1787 until his death in 1797, struck across multiple Prussian mints — Berlin, Breslau, and Königsberg among them — with mint marks that matter considerably to specialists narrowing down specific emission years.
At 0.45g, these saw brutal daily use and survivors in any meaningful state of preservation are harder to locate than the run length suggests.