Christoph of Württemberg issued these tiny billon pieces during a period of aggressive monetary reform — he had inherited a duchy financially wrecked by his predecessor Ulrich, and the reorganization of small-denomination coinage was part of a broader fiscal stabilization effort in the late 1550s. The heller, already an ancient and much-debased denomination by this point, was struggling to maintain relevance against the rising dominance of larger silver issues across the Reich.
At .313 fine, this sits at the lower threshold of what contemporaries would still classify as silver coinage rather than copper.
Christoph of Württemberg issued these tiny billon pieces during a period of aggressive monetary reform — he had inherited a duchy financially wrecked by his predecessor Ulrich, and the reorganization of small-denomination coinage was part of a broader fiscal stabilization effort in the late 1550s. The heller, already an ancient and much-debased denomination by this point, was struggling to maintain relevance against the rising dominance of larger silver issues across the Reich.
At .313 fine, this sits at the lower threshold of what contemporaries would still classify as silver coinage rather than copper.