Frederick III ruled Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg from 1732 until his death in 1772, but the years bracketing this issue — 1753 to 1760 — fall squarely within the Seven Years' War, during which Thuringian territories were repeatedly crossed, occupied, and taxed by both Prussian and Austrian forces. Small billon pfennigs like this one bore the practical burden of that disruption, keeping minor transactions alive when larger silver coinage was hoarded or requisitioned.
The duchy's mint at Gotha operated under chronic pressure during this period to produce sufficient petty coinage for a population under wartime strain.
Frederick III ruled Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg from 1732 until his death in 1772, but the years bracketing this issue — 1753 to 1760 — fall squarely within the Seven Years' War, during which Thuringian territories were repeatedly crossed, occupied, and taxed by both Prussian and Austrian forces. Small billon pfennigs like this one bore the practical burden of that disruption, keeping minor transactions alive when larger silver coinage was hoarded or requisitioned.
The duchy's mint at Gotha operated under chronic pressure during this period to produce sufficient petty coinage for a population under wartime strain.