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3 Pfennigs - John Frederick Charles of Ostein
| Issuer | Erfurt, City of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1760-1761 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Central field dominated by the elaborate interlaced cypher 'JFC' (for Johann Friedrich Carl) rendered in foliate script, surmounted by an electoral princely crown with cross finial. Flanking the monogram are the crossed sword and crozier, emblems of the ecclesiastical and secular authority of the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz as lord of Erfurt. Beneath the monogram appears the six-spoked Mainz wheel, the heraldic charge of the Archbishopric of Mainz, accompanied by decorative baroque scrollwork and ornamental flourishes in the lower field. The coin bears a milled or reeded border encircling the entire design. The overall composition is characteristic of mid-eighteenth-century German ecclesiastical coinage. |
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| Reverse description | A four-line inscription within an ornate baroque cartouche or frame displays the denomination and monetary designation. The legend reads '3 PFENNIG' on the upper lines, followed by 'S ● M' (Scheide Münz, denoting subsidiary or small coinage), and the date '1760' in the lower line. The baroque frame features scrolled and foliated ornamental borders typical of German provincial coinage of the mid-eighteenth century. The field within the frame is recessed, giving prominence to the lettered inscription. No additional devices or symbols appear on the reverse. |
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| Additional information |
Erfurt occupied a peculiar political position in 1760: a city nominally under the Elector of Mainz yet embedded deep within Saxon and Thuringian territory, caught between competing powers during the Seven Years' War. John Frederick Charles of Ostein, Archbishop-Elector of Mainz, authorized this emergency copper issue as Prussian and Austrian forces repeatedly disrupted normal commerce across central Germany. The two-year window of production reflects the instability — local authorities rarely ran copper pfennig coinage this long without a pressing reason.