Corvey's kipperzeit output belongs to one of the more cynical episodes in early modern monetary history. During the Kipper- und Wipperzeit of 1619–1623, hundreds of German ecclesiastical and secular authorities debased their coinage aggressively, flooding regional markets with underweight silver to extract seigniorage before neighboring territories could respond in kind. Corvey, a Benedictine imperial abbey on the Weser, was no exception under Henry V of Aschenbrock, who held the abbacy from 1616 to 1638.
The B/d die pairing identified by Ilisch and Schwede places this piece within a documented sequence, suggesting Corvey ran multiple die combinations in rapid succession — consistent with the high-volume, short-window production that defined kipper coinage generally.
Corvey's kipperzeit output belongs to one of the more cynical episodes in early modern monetary history. During the Kipper- und Wipperzeit of 1619–1623, hundreds of German ecclesiastical and secular authorities debased their coinage aggressively, flooding regional markets with underweight silver to extract seigniorage before neighboring territories could respond in kind. Corvey, a Benedictine imperial abbey on the Weser, was no exception under Henry V of Aschenbrock, who held the abbacy from 1616 to 1638.
The B/d die pairing identified by Ilisch and Schwede places this piece within a documented sequence, suggesting Corvey ran multiple die combinations in rapid succession — consistent with the high-volume, short-window production that defined kipper coinage generally.