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20 Kreuzers - Joseph II
| Issuer | Habsburg Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1786-1790 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 6.68 g |
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| Obverse description | Bare-headed, draped bust of Emperor Joseph II facing right, rendered in a restrained neoclassical style, with lightly curled hair tied at the nape. The effigy is framed within an open laurel wreath, the branches tied at the base with a ribbon bow, and the mint letter B appears below the bust at the wreath junction. The surrounding circumferential legend reads IOSEPH.II.D.G.R.I.S.A.GERM.HV.BO.REX., separated by pellet stops and disposed evenly around the inner border, with fine milled denticles along the outer rim. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | ARCH.AVST.D.BVRG.LOTH.M.D.HET. 1788 X 20 (Translation: Archduke of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, Lorraine, Grand Duke of Etruria) |
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| Additional information |
Joseph II's Kreuzer coinage of this period was a direct product of his sweeping monetary rationalization program, which sought to standardize the chaotic patchwork of denominations circulating across Habsburg territories. The .583 fineness was a deliberate reduction from earlier silver standards — part of a broader fiscal strategy to stretch metal reserves while maintaining nominal face value across the empire's fragmented regional economies.
Joseph died in February 1790, just weeks after revoking most of his own reforms under pressure from nobility and clergy. Coins struck in that final year circulated into a political vacuum.