3 Gröscher - Frederick William III

Frederick William III issued this small billon piece during the most humiliating stretch of Prussian history — the years immediately following Jena-Auerstedt, when Napoleon's army occupied Berlin and the king governed from Königsberg and Memel in effective exile. Currency production continued at scattered mints under severely disrupted conditions, which accounts for the range of die varieties catalogued under Schr#234-242; collectors tracking this series by mint and date find the sub-varieties multiply quickly.