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5 Ducats Klippe, Siege issue
| Issuer | City of Magdeburg |
|---|---|
| Year | 1551 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Ducats (17.5) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Plain flat field with no design elements or inscriptions, typical of hastily produced klippe siege coinage where only one die face was engraved. The surface bears the natural texture of the hammered gold planchet. A multi-line German text legend covering the entire field reads: 16·K·31· / FERDIN / ANDO·ZER / OBRET·DIE·S / MEIDENBVR / G·DEN·20 / TAG / MEI, recording the capitulation of Magdeburg to Emperor Ferdinand on 20 May, providing a historical inscription rather than a conventional reverse type. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Magdeburg's 1551 siege coinage emerged from one of the most protracted urban conflicts of the Reformation era. After Charles V placed the city under the Imperial Ban in 1547 following its refusal to accept the Augsburg Interim, Magdeburg held out for years — becoming a refuge for Protestant preachers and a symbol of confessional resistance. Emergency klippe issues like this one were struck from whatever bullion the city could command, the square format a practical consequence of cutting sheet metal rather than using prepared round flans.
Korchnak remains the primary reference for Magdeburg siege issues, and #357 at this weight represents one of the heavier multiducat denominations from the series.