Breisach's 1633 siege coinage was struck under conditions of genuine desperation. The city, held by Imperial forces, endured a prolonged investment by Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar during the Thirty Years' War, and the municipal authorities resorted to emergency klippe issues — cut from irregular plate silver — when normal coin supply collapsed entirely. The 48 Kreuzer denomination was wildly overvalued against its silver content, a deliberate expedient to stretch whatever metal remained.
Berstett's ZB#86 distinguishes this as the second die variety of the type. The square-cut flan surfaces frequently show file marks from the hasty preparation of blanks under siege conditions.
Breisach's 1633 siege coinage was struck under conditions of genuine desperation. The city, held by Imperial forces, endured a prolonged investment by Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar during the Thirty Years' War, and the municipal authorities resorted to emergency klippe issues — cut from irregular plate silver — when normal coin supply collapsed entirely. The 48 Kreuzer denomination was wildly overvalued against its silver content, a deliberate expedient to stretch whatever metal remained.
Berstett's ZB#86 distinguishes this as the second die variety of the type. The square-cut flan surfaces frequently show file marks from the hasty preparation of blanks under siege conditions.