3 Kreuzers - Frederick II

Frederick II authorized these small billon pieces primarily to finance the costs of administering Silesia following its seizure from Austria in the 1740s — a province that required its own parallel monetary infrastructure. The Prussian treasury was notoriously pragmatic about subsidiary coinage; Frederick himself reportedly cared little for the quality of small denominations so long as the silver content held to spec.

The wide Schrötter range (1506–1522) reflects numerous die varieties across the fifteen-year production window, and collectors working the series will find meaningful differences in mintmark placement and numeral style between early and late strikes.