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1 Thaler - George William
| Issuer | Brandenburg-Prussia, State of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1620 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Central scepter surrounded by a first ring of six heraldic arms, enclosed within a circular Latin legend, and further surrounded by an outer ring of eighteen heraldic arms representing the territories of Brandenburg. The date 1620 is divided and placed in the upper field, while the mint official's initials LM appear divided in the lower field. |
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| Additional information |
George William inherited the Electorate of Brandenburg in 1619 and immediately faced pressure from every direction — the Thirty Years' War had just erupted, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth held claims on Prussia, and his own court was fractured between Calvinist and Lutheran factions. This thaler dates to his first full year of rule, before the catastrophic Swedish and Imperial armies had reduced Brandenburg to a thoroughfare for foreign troops.
The Leipzig Mint struck thalers to the Kipper und Wipper standard during precisely this window, when currency debasement across the German states reached its worst point since the medieval period. Some issues from 1620–22 Brandenburg are notably light or debased; this piece at 28.32g suggests it predates the worst of that crisis.