Goslar's civic coinage in the fifteenth century was closely tied to the city's control over the Rammelsberg silver mines — one of the most productive ore deposits in medieval Europe. The 'Matthiaspfennig' designation almost certainly references St. Matthias, whose feast day (February 24th) may have governed a minting cycle or market authorization. Small-denomination civic pfennigs of this type rarely survived in quantity; they were struck light, circulated hard, and melted the moment silver valuations shifted.
Goslar's civic coinage in the fifteenth century was closely tied to the city's control over the Rammelsberg silver mines — one of the most productive ore deposits in medieval Europe. The 'Matthiaspfennig' designation almost certainly references St. Matthias, whose feast day (February 24th) may have governed a minting cycle or market authorization. Small-denomination civic pfennigs of this type rarely survived in quantity; they were struck light, circulated hard, and melted the moment silver valuations shifted.