1 Scherf

Wismar's copper Scherf issues of the late sixteenth century were struck under the city's own municipal authority during a period when small-denomination copper coinage was chronically undersupplied across the Baltic trading towns. The Hanseatic League's commercial infrastructure ran on silver, leaving petty transactions dependent on whatever local copper the individual cities chose to produce. Wismar filled that gap aggressively.

Kunzel 172 and Gaettens 1538 cross-reference this type within a tightly documented sequence, suggesting die study has been done — collectors working this series should consult Kunzel's die assignments before attributing individual specimens.