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4 Pfennig
| Issuer | City of Osnabrück |
|---|---|
| Year | 1702-1703 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Billon |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays the denomination expressed as four vertical strokes (IIII) arranged in a row across the upper field, separated by a horizontal bar, forming a tally-mark style numeral. Below the horizontal bar, the abbreviation PFEN for Pfennig appears in the central field, with the mintmaster's initials H.L.O. inscribed beneath in the lower field. The design is stark and utilitarian, consistent with small-denomination billon coinage of the early eighteenth century. |
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| Additional information |
Osnabrück occupied a uniquely split administrative position in the early eighteenth century — under the terms of the 1648 Peace of Westphalia, the bishopric alternated between Catholic and Protestant rulers with each successive incumbent. In 1702 the see was held by Karl Joseph of Lorraine, a Catholic, which placed the city's civic authorities in the awkward position of issuing their own municipal coinage largely independent of episcopal oversight. These small billon pieces filled a genuine gap in everyday transactional currency that the bishopric showed little urgency in supplying.