Prussia 1755-A pfennig

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Künker sale 353, part of lot 3579

This specimen was part of lot 3579 in Künker sale 353 (Osnabrück, Germany, September 2021), where it sold for €25 (about US$35 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,

"BRANDENBURG-PREUSSEN, PREUSSEN, KÖNIGREICH, Friedrich II. der Große, 1740-1786. Ku.-Pfennig 1752, A, Berlin. ...b) Ku.-Pfennig 1755 (Jahreszahl im Stempel aus 1753 geändert) A, Berlin. Prägung für die Mark Brandenburg. Erworben am 21.11.1991 von Fritz Rudolf Künker, Osnabrück. 2 Stück., Sehr schön. (Germany, kingdom of Prussia, Frederick II the Great, 1740-86, copper pfennig of 1752, Berlin mint, struck for the mark of Brandenburg. [One of] Two pieces, very fine.)"

While it may seem perfectly normal for us to use low value coins struck from base metal, in the eighteenth century it was still a strange concept in many lands. The government of Prussia went to great lengths to issue small coins with a least a trace of silver but gave up in the face of rampant counterfeiting. This type was struck sporadically 1751-55 but was not a success. In 1768, the regime went back to striking billon pfennig (KM 319).

Recorded mintage: 8,640,000 for 1751-55.

Specification: 2.44 g, copper, 20 mm diameter, this specimen 3,71 g.

Catalog reference: KM 262.1, Kluge 210.4; Olding 157 Anm. 1.

Source:

  • Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
  • [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Künker Auktion 353: Die Sammlung Axel Tesmer, Teil 2: Prägungen der Könige von Preussen von der Kroning 1701 bis zum Ende der Monarchie. Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2021.

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