15 Kreuzer

This piece is a product of the Kipper- und Wipperzeit — the catastrophic currency debasement that swept the Holy Roman Empire between roughly 1619 and 1623, when mints across Germany and Bohemia raced to produce overvalued, underweight small silver coins to exploit fixed exchange rates. Nuremberg, despite its reputation for civic probity, was not immune. Municipal authorities authorized inflated fractional issues to remain competitive as debased coin from neighboring territories flooded local markets.

By 1623 the collapse was complete, and most Kipper-era coins were demonetized or recalled at a fraction of face value.