6 Pfennig - Ernest Frederick I

Ernest Frederick I ruled Saxe-Hildburghausen from its creation in 1680 following the partition of Saxe-Gotha, inheriting one of the smallest and most financially precarious of the Ernestine duchies. The Hildburghausen line was chronically indebted throughout its existence, and small silver issues like this 6 Pfennig were a practical necessity for local commerce in a territory with almost no economic leverage of its own.

Hollmann's specialized catalog of Hildburghausen coinage remains the definitive reference for this series, as KM coverage of the minor Ernestine states is notoriously thin on die variety detail.