24 Kreuzer - Johann Christian Kluczbork

Issued in 1622 during the so-called Kipper und Wipperzeit — the catastrophic debasement crisis that swept the Holy Roman Empire between roughly 1619 and 1623 — this piece belongs to one of the most chaotic monetary episodes in Central European history. Mints across dozens of territories, including small Silesian duchies like Liegnitz-Brieg, raced to produce debased silver coinage at inflated face values, extracting seigniorage profit before the inevitable collapse. Johann Christian ruled Liegnitz-Brieg from 1609 until his death in 1639, and his mint was among many that exploited the crisis aggressively.

The 24 Kreuzer denomination itself became so associated with this period of fraud and monetary panic that contemporaries simply called such coins "Kipper money."