15 Kreuzers - Frederick William

The 15 Kreuzer denomination was a creature of necessity in the fragmented currency environment of the Holy Roman Empire, where Brandenburg-Prussia found itself obligated to strike coins compatible with the South German and Austrian reckoning systems despite operating primarily within a North German monetary orbit. Frederick William — the Great Elector — died in April 1688, meaning this 1687 issue was struck in the final year of his reign, during which he was still managing the financial aftershocks of decades of warfare and the costs of maintaining a standing army he had fought hard to institutionalize.