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1 Heller - Frederick I
| Issuer | Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchy of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1681-1682 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | KM#25, Steguweit#107 |
| Obverse description | Central device comprising a crowned oval shield bearing the quartered arms of Saxony, displaying alternating barry of sable and or with a crancelin, flanked on either side by upright palm branches. The crowned arms are rendered in the baroque heraldic style typical of late 17th-century German coinage. The overall composition is set within a plain circular field. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents a three-line or four-line Latin inscription in the field, reading the denomination and territorial attribution, arranged concentrically within the plain circular field. The lettering, struck in relief, follows the convention of small German copper Heller coinage of the period, with the inscription serving as the sole design element without additional ornamental devices. |
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| Additional information |
Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg was itself only a few decades old when this piece was struck — the duchy formed in 1672 after the death of Ernst the Pious, whose seven surviving sons divided his territories. Frederick I inherited Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg as the eldest, ruling a small but administratively ambitious state that Ernst had reshaped along Lutheran Pietist lines. The two-year window of this issue likely reflects a short-lived contract with a particular copper supplier or a local minting arrangement that was not renewed.