1 Pfennig - Frederick I

Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg was itself only created in 1672, following the division of Saxe-Gotha among the seven sons of Ernest the Pious. Frederick I received Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg as his portion, and this pfennig dates from relatively early in his independent rule. At 0.28 g, the silver content is negligible — these tiny coins occupied the absolute base of a fractured Saxon monetary system in which dozens of petty duchies struck their own pfennigs to near-identical specifications, creating chronic small-change confusion across Thuringia.