3 Pfennig - Henry III

Reuss-Untergreiz was among the smallest of the Thuringian lordships, a fragmented relic of the old Reuss dynasty's practice of dividing territory among all male heirs. By 1752, Heinrich III ruled a domain of negligible size and population, yet exercised the full rights of a sovereign prince — including the right to strike coin. This three-pfennig piece is less a practical currency than a jurisdictional statement, minted in silver at a weight that made it almost economically absurd to produce at face value.