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1 Spitzgroschen - Ernest, William III, and Albert Zwickau
| Issuer | Saxony (Albertinian Line), Electorate of |
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| Year | 1478 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 1.69 g |
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| Obverse description | Central field occupied by the Saxon Balkenschild (Rautenkranzschild), the heraldic shield of Saxony consisting of barry with a bend engrailed, presented within a beaded or rope circle. A continuous Latin legend in uncial lettering encircles the design, naming the three co-ruling dukes Ernest, William, and Albert with their full ducal titles. The die-hammered fabric gives the flan a characteristic irregular outline typical of late 15th-century Germanic coinage. |
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| Obverse script | Latin (uncial) |
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| Additional information |
The Spitzgroschen — named for the pointed (spitz) lower terminals of the shield on the die — was a distinctly Saxon denomination that emerged in the mid-fifteenth century as the region's silver mining output from the Erzgebirge expanded. This 1478 piece is a joint issue of the Ernestine-Albertine co-rulers before the 1485 Leipzig Partition permanently divided the Wettin dynasty into two separate lines. Ernest, William III, and Albert governed Saxony under the traditional Wettin practice of Gesamthaus co-rulership, a dynastic arrangement that grew increasingly unwieldy and ultimately unsustainable.
The Zwickau mint attribution ties this coin to one of Saxony's important secondary striking facilities during this period.