1 Pfennig - John Louis

Solms-Hohensolms was one of the splinter territories produced by the relentless subdivision of the Solms comital family — by the late seventeenth century, the House of Solms had fragmented into at least four distinct lines, each issuing its own coinage despite controlling territories barely large enough to support the administrative apparatus required to do so. John Louis (Johann Ludwig) ruled Hohensolms from 1680 until his death in 1696, which tightens the likely striking window considerably. At 0.18 grams, these copper pfennigs were among the lightest denominations circulating in the Holy Roman Empire.