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24 Kipper Kreuzers - Charles the Posthumous
| Issuer | Bishopric of Brixen (Austrian States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1621 |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of Archduke Charles the Posthumous facing right, rendered in a bold, slightly crude hammered style typical of Kipper-period emergency coinage. The date 1621 appears below the bust, and the denomination numeral 24 is displayed within an oval cartouche at the bottom of the field. A Latin legend encircles the effigy, abbreviated as CARO D G ARCHI DVX AVST ADM 16Z1 (24), identifying the issuer as Charles by the Grace of God, Archduke of Austria. |
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| Reverse description | A large crowned composite heraldic shield occupies the centre of the field, displaying the quartered coat of arms associated with the Bishopric of Brixen and the Teutonic Order. Two smaller subsidiary shields are positioned flanking the main achievement, one on each side. The surrounding Latin legend, abbreviated GEN PRVS M ORD TEV EP BR E W M, references the titles of Grand Master of the Teutonic Order and Bishop of Brixen and Worms. The overall execution reflects the hurried, debased coinage characteristic of the Kipper und Wipper inflationary period. |
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| Additional information |
The Kipper und Wipperzeit — literally "tipper and see-saw time" — was a currency crisis that convulsed Central Europe from roughly 1619 to 1623, driven by systematic debasement as princes, bishops, and municipal mints raced to coin vast quantities of low-silver pieces, then spent them at face value before the market could adjust. The Bishopric of Brixen was among the ecclesiastical authorities that participated, issuing debased kreuzers nominally in the name of Charles the Posthumous — Archduke Charles of Austria, who had died in 1624 before reaching adulthood, lending his name to coins struck during his nominal tenure as Count of Tyrol.
By 1623 the crisis had collapsed, leaving merchants and peasants holding worthless small change. Imperial edicts forced a revaluation that wiped out ordinary holders entirely.