18 Kreuzer - Frederick II

These were struck not for Prussian domestic use but to pay Frederick's troops and suppliers during the Seven Years' War — specifically produced to circulate in Saxony and other occupied territories. Frederick seized the Dresden mint in 1756 and exploited captured silver stocks to fund his campaigns, debasing the coinage progressively through the war years while maintaining the nominal face value.

The arrangement with the mint entrepreneur Veitel Heine Ephraim became notorious across Europe. "Ephraimiten" entered the German language as a slur for debased coin.