3 Pfennige - Frederick III

Frederick III never actually ruled Prussia — the king reigning from 1797 to 1840 was Frederick William III, and these small billon pieces were issued under his authority. The "Frederick III" attribution in older references reflects an earlier cataloging convention that miscounted Prussian monarchs named Frederick, a numbering dispute that persisted in numismatic literature well into the twentieth century.

At .125 fineness, the silver content is negligible — barely enough to distinguish the alloy from copper by appearance. Prussia was managing severe fiscal strain during this period, with the Napoleonic Wars disrupting trade and draining treasury reserves by the time the final date of this type was struck.