15 Kreuzers - Leopold I Vienna

Leopold I began issuing 15 Kreuzer pieces in 1660 partly to address a chronic shortage of mid-denomination silver in the hereditary lands, but the coinage almost immediately became entangled in the Kipper und Wipper debasement aftershocks still reverberating from earlier in the century. Vienna's output across this sixteen-year span was substantial, and the multiple Herinek references reflect genuine die variety groupings rather than simple cataloging redundancy — collectors working this series quickly discover that obverse bust progressions and reverse shield configurations changed frequently enough to reward close die attribution.