Obol - Ferdinand II

Ferdinand II spent much of his reign fighting the Thirty Years' War while simultaneously suppressing the Hungarian Protestant nobility, a political balancing act that strained imperial finances severely. These tiny half-denar pieces were struck across multiple Hungarian mints during that period, which accounts for the split references — H#1208 and H#1210 reflect distinct mint attributions within the same basic type. At 0.29 g in debased .500 silver, they were among the smallest practical monetary units in circulation, and losses to wear and attrition were enormous.