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1 Pfennig - Frederick II
| Issuer | Prussia, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1771-1786 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Pfennig (1⁄288) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | The denomination and date are displayed in four horizontal lines across the central field: the numeral 'I' at the top flanked on each side by a six-petalled rosette ornament, followed by 'GUTER' on the second line, 'PFEN' on the third line, and the four-digit date on the fourth line. The inscription reads 'I GUTER PFEN' denoting one good Pfennig, with the year completing the reverse design. The lettering is bold and upright in a characteristic late-baroque style, filling the field without a surrounding legend. |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Frederick II's late-reign copper-silver issues were produced under a monetary system badly distorted by the Seven Years' War, during which Frederick had deliberately debased Prussian coinage to finance military expenditure — at points reducing silver content so aggressively that contemporaries called the policy "Ephraimites," after the Jewish mint contractor Veitel Heine Ephraim who managed the debasement operation. By 1771, Prussia was slowly rehabilitating its currency, though small denomination billon remained stubbornly low in fineness. The .094 silver figure reflects that incomplete recovery rather than any fresh debasement.