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3 Pfennig - Christian William of Brandenburg Kipper
| Issuer | Archbishopric of Magdeburg |
|---|---|
| Year | 1621 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Quartered arms featuring the central shield of Magdeburg, composed of multiple heraldic divisions. Small annulets flank the shield at either side and appear above, serving as decorative punctuation marks within the field. The design is characteristic of the Kipper period, struck in a crude hammered style on an irregular flan. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Issued during the Kipper- und Wipperzeit — the catastrophic currency debasement crisis that swept the Holy Roman Empire between roughly 1619 and 1623 — this piece is a product of deliberate monetary fraud at the territorial level. Princes and bishops alike debased their billon coinage to exploit fixed exchange rates with neighboring states, flooding the Empire with underweight small change before the scheme collapsed. Christian William of Brandenburg, Administrator of Magdeburg at the time, was among the ecclesiastical rulers who participated.
Christian William's tenure ended badly. He converted to Lutheranism, lost the administratorship, and was later captured at the Battle of Dessau Bridge in 1626.