20 Kreuzers - Franz I

Franz I ruled the Austrian Empire in name while Maria Theresa held the real administrative power, a division both understood and rarely discussed openly. The 20 Kreuzer issues of this period were workhorses of Central European trade, circulating well beyond Habsburg territory into the German states and the Ottoman borderlands. The .583 fineness was a deliberate compromise — fine enough for credibility, base enough to keep bullion costs manageable during the financially punishing years of the Seven Years' War.

KM#2028 spans a twelve-year window that ends with Franz's sudden death in 1765 at Innsbruck, mid-celebration of a royal wedding.