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1 Groschen Counterstamped
| Issuer | Erfurt, City of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1456-1464 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Countermarked |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Applied counterstamp of Erfurt depicting a six-spoked wheel, punched prominently into the obverse field of a host coin — a Schwertgroschen originally struck at Colditz. The underlying host coin retains partially visible elements of its original design, including remnants of a crowned figure and peripheral legend in Latin uncial script. The counterstamp itself is deeply impressed and roughly circular, with the wheel motif — the heraldic symbol of Erfurt — clearly rendered at center. The irregular flan and hammered fabric are characteristic of mid-15th-century German bracteate-influenced coinage practices. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse retains the design of the original Schwertgroschen host coin from Colditz, exhibiting the typical elements of mid-15th-century Meissen-area groschen coinage, including a partially legible peripheral Latin legend in uncial characters and central devices now worn and partially obscured by the counterstamping process. The flat, hammered surface shows significant circulation wear consistent with extended use prior to and following the application of the Erfurt counterstamp. The field is uneven, reflecting the irregular flan characteristic of hammered silver issues of this period. |
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| Additional information |
Erfurt occupied an unusual constitutional position in the mid-fifteenth century — formally under the Archbishop of Mainz yet functionally self-governing, with the city council exercising monetary authority that was perpetually contested. The counterstamp on this groschen is a consequence of that friction: foreign and regional silver coins circulated freely through Erfurt's markets, and municipal restamping allowed the city to assert valuation control over pieces it had not originally struck.
The Krusy reference places this within a narrow eight-year window tied to specific council ordinances rather than a continuous policy.