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1 Mariengroschen - Ernest, Rudolph and Wolfgang
| Issuer | Anhalt, Principality of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1508-1509 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 2.30 g |
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| Obverse description | Central field displays a rampant bear passant, the heraldic symbol of the Principality of Anhalt, rendered in the Gothic hammered style typical of early sixteenth-century German coinage. The bear is depicted with pronounced relief against a flat field, with stylized fur detailing visible despite the worn surfaces. A circular Latin legend runs along the inner border, reading ERN x ROLF x WLF x PRIN x AO x AN x, abbreviating the names and titles of the three co-ruling princes Ernest, Rudolph, and Wolfgang. The legend is separated from the central device by a beaded inner border. The overall design reflects the medieval Germanic engraving tradition characteristic of small Groschen coinage of the period. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The three brothers — Ernest, Rudolph, and Wolfgang — governed Anhalt jointly following the division agreements that fragmented the Ascanian holdings across the late fifteenth century. Joint-reign coinage of this kind was a political instrument as much as a monetary one, signaling dynastic cohesion to neighboring territories during a period when the Anhalt lands were under persistent pressure from Saxony.
The Mariengroschen denomination was standard currency across much of central Germany by the early sixteenth century, but Anhalt's output was modest, and issues attributable specifically to this three-prince period are thinly documented in surviving records.