The "Six Brothers" designation refers to the joint rule of the Ernestine Wettin line following the death of Duke Johann Ernst I in 1616, when six of his sons governed Saxe-Weimar collectively before the duchy was formally partitioned in 1640. This tiny copper issue was struck at the height of the Kipper- und Wipperzeit — the catastrophic currency debasement crisis of 1619–1623, during which dozens of German states flooded circulation with underweight small change while hoarding silver.
The "Six Brothers" designation refers to the joint rule of the Ernestine Wettin line following the death of Duke Johann Ernst I in 1616, when six of his sons governed Saxe-Weimar collectively before the duchy was formally partitioned in 1640. This tiny copper issue was struck at the height of the Kipper- und Wipperzeit — the catastrophic currency debasement crisis of 1619–1623, during which dozens of German states flooded circulation with underweight small change while hoarding silver.