1 Pfennig - John Frederick Charles of Ostein

John Frederick Charles of Ostein served as Elector and Archbishop of Mainz from 1743 until his death in 1763, with Erfurt falling under Mainz's territorial jurisdiction as its most significant outlying possession. This coin was struck during the Seven Years' War, a conflict that saw Erfurt itself occupied by Prussian forces in 1757 — a military intrusion that disrupted the city's administration and economy for years. That coinage continued under Ostein's authority through this period reflects Mainz's determined effort to maintain administrative normalcy in a city it could not always physically control.