1 Mark

Lübeck's civic coinage in the 1520s reflects the city's jealously guarded status as a free imperial city — answerable to the Emperor but in practice conducting monetary policy largely on its own terms. The weight here, nearly 20 grams of silver, places this squarely in the heavier mark tradition of the northern Hanseatic minting sphere, distinct from the lighter south German standard gaining ground elsewhere in the Empire at precisely this moment.

1523 falls in the early years of Lübeck's complex relationship with the Reformation, which would reshape the city's political class within a decade. MB#36 is not a common attribution, and survivors in any honest grade are scarce.