The Vereinsthaler system, established by the Dresden Mint Treaty of 1838 and expanded under the Vienna Treaty of 1857, was an attempt to create a unified coinage across the German states without requiring political unification — a compromise that satisfied almost no one entirely. Hannover's fractional issues under George V, who was blind from age 14 following a botched medical treatment, continued until Prussian annexation in 1866 rendered the kingdom extinct after Hannover backed Austria in the Seven Weeks' War.
Post-annexation, Hanoverian coins were demonetized rapidly. Circulated survivors from the final 1866 striking are the pieces to watch.
The Vereinsthaler system, established by the Dresden Mint Treaty of 1838 and expanded under the Vienna Treaty of 1857, was an attempt to create a unified coinage across the German states without requiring political unification — a compromise that satisfied almost no one entirely. Hannover's fractional issues under George V, who was blind from age 14 following a botched medical treatment, continued until Prussian annexation in 1866 rendered the kingdom extinct after Hannover backed Austria in the Seven Weeks' War.
Post-annexation, Hanoverian coins were demonetized rapidly. Circulated survivors from the final 1866 striking are the pieces to watch.