Catalog
3 Pfennig
| Issuer | Münster, Cathedral chapter of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1591 |
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| Currency | Thaler |
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| Obverse description | Facing bust of St. Paul the Apostle, bearded and depicted frontally within a beaded inner circle, rendered in a hieratic medieval style. The saint's drapery is visible at the shoulders, and a fleur-de-lis countermark appears prominently at the base of the design, representing the 1591 lily BS mint mark. The circumferential legend reads S. PAVLVS. APOSTOLVS. in Latin capital letters, separated by stops, running within the outer beaded border. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Cathedral Chapter of Münster exercised independent coining rights as an ecclesiastical territorial authority within Westphalia, distinct from the city of Münster's own civic mint. By the late sixteenth century, small copper pfennig issues from chapter mints were increasingly necessary as silver coinage drained upward into trade, leaving a chronic shortage of low-denomination currency for daily transactions. This 1591 piece was struck during the episcopate of Johann IV von Hoya, whose administration navigated persistent tension between Catholic chapter authority and the Protestant-leaning city council.