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6 Pfennig - Frederick William
| Issuer | Electorate of Brandenburg |
|---|---|
| Year | 1651-1659 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Central field displays the Brandenburg eagle shield, an orb-charged escutcheon set within a wreath or decorative inner circle border. The peripheral legend in Latin runs around the coin reading the abbreviated titles of Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg, denoting his style as Margrave of Brandenburg and Arch-Chamberlain of the Holy Roman Empire. The hammered flan gives an irregular, slightly uneven surface characteristic of mid-seventeenth century Brandenburg coinage. |
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays a five-line inscription within an inner circle, giving the denomination numeral '6' at the top, followed by 'PFENNIG', 'BRANDENB', 'LANDES', 'MUNZ', and the date '1658' at the foot of the field. An outer legend runs around the periphery, separated from the inner circle by a beaded border, recording additional titles of the issuing authority. The layout is a typical mid-seventeenth century Brandenburg Landesmünze type, struck on a hammered flan with characteristic irregular surfaces. |
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| Additional information |
Frederick William, the "Great Elector," was consolidating Brandenburg-Prussia's shattered finances in the aftermath of the Thirty Years' War when this issue circulated. The war had devastated the Mark's economy so thoroughly that even minor silver denominations were scarce enough to matter. His monetary reforms of the 1650s were part of a broader effort to impose fiscal order on a territory that had been plundered by multiple armies for three decades.
KM#240 encompasses the full run of this type across eight years — minor die variations exist within the series but are not systematically catalogued.