1 Groschen - John Frederick I and George

John Frederick I and his brother George ruled jointly over the Ernestinian territories following the 1531 partition arrangements, a co-regency that ended abruptly with George's death in 1539. The brief joint-issue window — just four or five years — kept mintage volumes modest, and coins struck under both names carry a political weight beyond their face value: the Ernestinian Wettins were among the most committed early supporters of Luther, and their mints operated under a dynasty that would stake its electoral dignity on the Protestant cause at Schmalkald.