4 Mariengroschen - Frederick William of Westfalen

The Bishopric of Hildesheim survived as an ecclesiastical principality within the Holy Roman Empire until its secularization in 1803, but by 1763 its finances were deeply strained by the Seven Years' War, which had seen Prussian and Hanoverian forces repeatedly move through Lower Saxony. Billon coinage of this period — debased silver-copper alloy — was largely a fiscal concession, allowing the bishopric to maintain a circulating currency without committing to full silver content.

Frederick William of Westfalen held the see from 1763, making this issue contemporaneous with the very opening of his episcopate.