1/3 Thaler - Frederick William

Frederick William — the "Great Elector" — began issuing 1/3 Thalers as Brandenburg-Prussia consolidated its monetary position following the Thirty Years' War devastation. The 1/3 Thaler denomination was a deliberate response to the Reichstaler's inconvenience in daily commerce, gaining traction across northern German states during the 1660s–70s as a de facto trade standard.

The fifteen-year span of this type coincides almost exactly with Frederick William's wars against Sweden, including the decisive Brandenburg victory at Fehrbellin in 1675 — a campaign partially financed by emergency coin production at the Berlin and Königsberg mints.