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18 Gröscher - Frederick II
| Issuer | Prussia, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1757 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 18 Gröscher (⅔) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Armored and crowned bust of Frederick II (the Great) facing right, wearing a royal crown and cuirass with decorative drapery at the shoulder, a sword visible behind the bust. The surrounding legend reads FRIDERICUS BORUSSORUM REX in Latin capital letters, distributed around the periphery of the field. The portrait is rendered in a robust Baroque engraving style characteristic of mid-18th-century Prussian coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The 18 Groschen pieces of 1757 are among the most politically charged coins of the Seven Years' War. Frederick II, desperate for war financing after Prussian treasury reserves were strained by simultaneous campaigns on multiple fronts, debased the coinage aggressively — but not equally. Full-weight silver issues like this type were struck for paying certain troops and foreign obligations, while notoriously debased pieces circulated domestically. The mint contractors Ephraim and Itzig became synonymous with the degraded issues; this is not one of those.
Kluge's die classification separates several distinct reverse die marriages within this emission.