2 Thalers / 3½ Gulden - Henry

Anhalt-Köthen was already a duchy in terminal decline by 1840 — Heinrich, ruling without a legitimate heir, had arranged for the territory to pass to Anhalt-Dessau upon his death. He died in 1847, and the duchy was duly absorbed, making this among the final issues struck in its name. The coinage of these last years carries an implicit finality that the mintage numbers reflect: production runs were modest, as there was little economic incentive to flood a disappearing principality with silver.