Catalog
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| Issuer | County of Rietberg (German States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1703 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Within a plain inner circle, the denomination is displayed in two lines reading 'I' above 'PFEN', flanked by two small floral or leaf ornaments on either side of the numeral. A circular legend surrounds the inner circle, reading '* I * PFEN GR.RIDB.LAND.MUNTZ.*', the abbreviated legend translating as 'Graf Rietberg Land Münze' (County of Rietberg land coinage). Dot separators divide the legend elements, and the overall layout is typical of small copper Pfennig coinage from the minor German territories of the period. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Rietberg was a tiny imperial county in Westphalia, passed through a succession of noble houses whose financial resources rarely matched their political pretensions. By 1703, the county had come under the Kaunitz family — Austrian imperial nobility — who held it until the Napoleonic reorganization swept the smaller German territories out of existence. Copper pfennig issues like this one were essentially fiduciary stopgaps, struck because the county lacked the silver reserves to service everyday exchange.
Maximilian Ulrich von Kaunitz held Rietberg from 1655 until his death in 1703 — the same year this piece was struck.