John George II inherited the Saxon electorate in 1656 and immediately set about projecting cultural ambition well beyond his means — his court at Dresden became one of the most expensive in the Empire, funded in part by grinding out low-denomination billon coinage at the Dresden and Leipzig mints. The Pfennig was the workhorse of that system, circulating among common transactions while the elector spent lavishly on Italian opera and Baroque architecture.
Clauß/Kahnt distinguishes two varieties at 445 and 446, likely reflecting different mint facilities or die periods across the twelve-year production run.
John George II inherited the Saxon electorate in 1656 and immediately set about projecting cultural ambition well beyond his means — his court at Dresden became one of the most expensive in the Empire, funded in part by grinding out low-denomination billon coinage at the Dresden and Leipzig mints. The Pfennig was the workhorse of that system, circulating among common transactions while the elector spent lavishly on Italian opera and Baroque architecture.
Clauß/Kahnt distinguishes two varieties at 445 and 446, likely reflecting different mint facilities or die periods across the twelve-year production run.