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4 Pfennig - Maximilian I
| Issuer | Bavaria, Duchy of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1621-1622 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 4 Pfennigs (4 Pfennige) (2⁄105) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The numeral IIII in large, bold Roman characters occupies the central field, denoting the face value of four Pfennig. The denomination is enclosed within a wreath of stylized laurel or olive branches, which encircles the entire inner field. The design is simple and utilitarian, consistent with small-denomination emergency or circulation coinage of the early Thirty Years' War period. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
These copper 4 Pfennig pieces were emergency small change issued as the Kipper- und Wipperzeit — the "clipping and see-sawing" crisis — reached its most destructive phase across the German states. Unscrupulous mint operators and territorial rulers had systematically debased silver coinage since around 1618, creating a vacuum of trustworthy small denomination currency. Bavaria and dozens of other territories flooded circulation with base-metal substitutes to fill it.
Maximilian I had only been elevated to Elector in 1623, so these were struck while he still held ducal title alone — a distinction that matters for establishing the precise political moment of issue.