Prussia 1816-B groschen
This specimen was lot 3241 in Steve Album Auction 51 (Santa Rosa, CA, January 2025), where it sold for $132. The catalog description[1] noted, "POLAND: GRAND DUCHY OF POSEN: Prussian Client State, AE groschen, 1816-B, Breslau Mint, obverse spot, two-year type, XF-AU, ex Joe Sedillot Collection." Poland was partitioned by Prussia, Russia and Austria in three bites, 1772, 1793 and 1795. Poles seeking restoration of their independence were Napoleon's most faithful allies during his wars, and the grand duchy of Warsaw, a Napoleonic puppet state given to the king of Saxony to rule 1807-14, was a partial realization of that dream. Napoleon's defeat meant the Polish return to subjugation, with Russia being awarded the kingdom of Poland created by the Congress of Vienna. The Prussian regime struck this copper one groschen for the Polish territory they retained in 1816-17. It and the accompanying three groschen (KM 31) are today quite scarce.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 2.9 g, silver (per the SCWC) or copper (per the photo), 20 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-30 (listed under Poland), Cr-1.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 51, featuring the Howard Daniel III Collection of Asian Coins, the Almer H. Orr III Collection of World Coins and the Joe Sedillot Collection of German Coins, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2024.
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