Brunswick finance laws

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The financial laws in the Duchy of Braunschweig in the 19th century regulated the legal tender up to the nationwide standardization in 1871.

Kingdom of Westphalia

According to Article 17 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of December 24, 1807, the coin system valid in France and the system of weights and measures should also be introduced in the Kingdom of Westphalia . " The coins should be struck with the coat of arms of Westphalia and with the portrait of the king ". Until sufficient new coins were available, it was necessary to allow the viable coins and to determine their value in relation to the French currency.

Together with the Code Napoléon , the civil code, francs and centimes were introduced in the Kingdom of Westphalia on January 1, 1808 . On June 1, 1808, it was forbidden to import Prussian coins into the kingdom. Since January 1, 1809, the postage of the letters had to be calculated in francs and centimes. In the postal regulations, valid from November 1, 1810, the estimate in francs and the type of coin in circulation as well as the weight in grams and lot should be displayed (noted on the letter). The Hessian, Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttler and Saxon thaler, the thaler at 24 Gutegroschen at 12 pfennigs each, is calculated at 3 francs and 88½ centimes.

In autumn 1813 the dissolution of the Kingdom of Westphalia is initiated. On October 28, 1813, allied Russians invade the state capital Kassel .

Duchy of Brunswick

The Brunswick Duke Friedrich Wilhelm took over government again on November 6, 1813. The French franc continued to apply. The franc was worth 5½ good groschen. The taler remained unchanged at 24 good groschen or 24 Mariengroschen or 288 pfennigs. The postal tariffs, valid on March 1, 1814, were already given in Gutegroschen and Loth.

Law on the Coin Constitution of December 18, 1834

The new Kurant currency based on the 14 thalers standard replaced the convention coin . The old coins retain their full external value but Taler (Courant) expects 12 dollars after 18 guilder foot or Leipzig monetary standard coined money and 13⅓ dollars in Convention guilders or speciedaler or in other words: a Convention-Taler is now a Taler and 8 pfennigs in courant money or: The convention money is converted into courant money at a ratio of 36 to 37 . Amounts in convention coins up to a groschen and 11 pfennigs are equivalent to the courant coin.

" Since the coin ratios that have occurred make a change to the previous coin standard and a different standardization of the coinage necessary, we issue ... the following law" .

  • The thaler is divided into 24 groschen of 12 pfennigs each.
  • " Ten and a half (10½) Taler pieces are a Mark weigh, and two hundred and sixteen (216) Grän included (= 0.812 g (gold and silver)) fine silver .
  • Forty-three-three quarters (43¾) one-sixth thalers or four-good penny pieces should weigh one mark and contain one hundred and fifty (150) greens of fine silver .
  • The silver dividing coins will consist of groschen and six-penny pieces and will contain sixteen (16) thalers one mark of fine silver. One hundred and twenty (120) greens will weigh a mark and ninety (90) greens will contain fine silver ".
  • Even the weight of the copper coins was regulated, so " the copper coins should consist of one and two-penny pieces. 96 1-pfennig or 48 2-pfennig pieces must weigh one mark ". Dividing coins were only intended for compensation, " so nobody should be bound to take more of them in payment ". Small deviations stipulated in the law were permitted.

" The coin weight is the Cölln mark of 233.856 French grams. The mark is divided into 16 Loth, 64 Quentchen, 256 Pfennigs and 4864 Aß. The mark test weight is divided into 288 Grän" .

Besides the national coins

  • Ducats , each containing 67 pieces one mark and 283 greens of fine gold,
  • fine gulden after the 18 thaler foot, of 17 7/8 pieces to one mark and 286 grän of its silver included and
  • Gulden according to the Leipzig foot , 18 pieces to the mark of fine silver, 13½ pieces must weigh one mark and must contain 216 grains of fine silver.
  • The value of other types of coins is normalized (determined) according to the legal relationship and made public.

" In private transactions, all types of money and means of payment that are not expressly forbidden, on which the payer and recipient agree, remain permissible ". However, " in private transactions, nobody is bound to accept certain payments in convention coins in other types of coins than those permitted in public coffers according to § 29. "

At the public coffers, the Braunschweig, Hanoverian and Saxon all-important 10, 5 and 2½ thaler pieces, the Prussian double, single and half full-weight Friedrichs'or, the simple Friedrichs'or to 5 thalers gold were to be considered. " The full 10 thaler must weigh at least 275 Aß, the 5 thaler 137 Aß and the 2½ thaler piece 68½ Aß " In the same way, the next paragraphs dealt with all possible coins in circulation. The Brunswick " convention coins" of 1/3, 1/6 and 1/12 thaler are on an equal footing with those of Hanover, Saxony and Westphalia, as are the convention coins of 10 and 20 kreuzer if they are not perforated. They should be accepted in the public coffers for courant money in a ratio of 36 to 37. One taler convention money in the mentioned pieces is valid for deposits equal to one taler and 8 pfennigs in courant money . Similar regulations applied to divisional coins, only foreign coins were forbidden, even in private traffic.

At the same time all ordinances and instructions contrary to this law were repealed .

On July 1, 1835, Hessian Gutegroschen and Albus pieces were approved in the Gandersheim and Holzminden districts. The Gutegroschen for 10 55/120 pfennigs each and the double albus for 16 11/40 pfennigs.

On December 28, 1835, the value of the convention money was reduced to the value of the courant money. The Braunschweig coins of 1 / 5th, 1 / 6th and 1 / 12th thaler, which were marked with the designation "Conventionsmünze", were reduced to the value of 8, 4 and 2 Gutegroschen courant money, respectively. In order not to suffer a loss, the coins could be exchanged for a premium of 8 pfennigs for every thaler courant money at the manorial coffers within 14 days. The coin constitution of December 18, 1834 was changed for the first time.

Coin Constitution as of January 1, 1858

In the Duchy of Brunswick was on October 1, 1855 inch pounds was introduced to 30 Lot. - Together with the governments in Hanover, Oldenburg, Schaumburg-Lippe, Bremen and Hamburg, it was decided to introduce the 500 g customs pound as a general unit of weight on July 1, 1858. The weight unit pound of 500 g was already introduced in Prussia by the law of May 17, 1856 and corresponded to 1,069,063 pounds (1 pound equals 2,209,158 lot) of the previous Hanoverian, Brunswick, Oldenburg and Schaumburg-Lippe national weights.

A coinage agreement had been concluded between the Zollverein and Austria and the Principality of Liechtenstein . “The pound, weighing 500 g” was now the exclusive weight of the coin at all mints. “ The fineness is expressed in thousands. When determining the fineness of silver coins, the sample should be applied by wet means everywhere. “The silver currency was held on.

  • Instead of the previous 14 thaler foot, the 30 thaler foot, 30 thaler from the pound of silver (state coin in Northern Germany) or
  • the 45 guilder foot to 45 guilders from the pound of silver (in Austria, Liechtenstein) or,
  • instead of the previous 24½ guilder foot, the 52½ guilder foot to 52½ guilders from the pound of silver (in southern Germany).

The previous coins should be completely equivalent to the new coins. Main coin should the input Vereinstaler = Gulden -Stück to 1/30 of the pound of fine silver with a value of 1 Thaler, 1- fl. Austrian, and 1¾ fl. = Gulden Southern German and the two-piece Vereinstaler to 1/15 of sterling fine silver with a value of 2 thalers, 3 florins = Austrian guilders, and 3½ florins = southern German florins. “ The mixing ratio of the club coins is set at 900/1000 silver and 100/1000 copper. This means that 13½ double or 27 single club thalers will weigh a pound ”. Between 1857 and 1862 there should be at least 24 two-thaler pieces for every 100 souls of the population, after which there should be at least 16 two-thaler pieces for every 100 souls within 4 years.

Dividing coins had to be designated as such. “In future, the silver coin may not be minted in any of the contracting states according to a lighter denomination than 34½ thalers, 51¾ fl Austrian or 60 3/8 fl southern German. When the copper coins are struck, the nominal value ratio of 112 thalers, 168 fl Austrian or 196 fl southern German for 1 inch centner of copper must never be exceeded ”. As before, no one may be forced to accept more coins than are necessary for compensation ”.

None of the states was entitled to issue paper money, unless the amount can be changed into silver coins on request.

For the Duchy of Braunschweig, the " law concerning the new coin constitution " regulated the details. From January 1, 1858, a thaler is divided into 30 groschen in 10 pfennigs. The rates previously determined by Gutegroschen and Pfennigs are to be converted. The 500 g pound is the basis of the coin weight. In the duchy the 30 thaler foot is valid instead of the previous 14 thaler foot at 30 thalers from the pound of fine silver. The value of the coins on both coin feet should have exactly the same value. (Not quite, because 30 thalers from 500 g = 16.66 g per thaler or 14 thalers from the marrow of fine silver at 233.856 g = 16.704 g per thaler.)

Two main silver coins corresponding to the national mint foot are supposed to be minted under the name Vereinstaler, namely ” a one and two thaler piece. The mixing ratio is set at 900 parts of silver and 100 parts of copper. " It will therefore weigh 27 single or 13½ double club thalers a pound ". The old coins, including those minted before 1839, of the associated states are fully recognized.

A 1/6 thaler piece is to be minted on courant coins. The mixing ratio here is 520 silver to 480 copper. It will weigh 93 6/10 pieces a pound. “But they have the same validity as the Vereinstaler at their face value ”.

There will be the ½, 1 and 2½ groschen pieces in silver (mixture ratio 2½ groschen - 375 silver to 625 copper, ½ and 1 groschen 220 to 780) and the 1 and 2 pfennig pieces in copper. "Nobody should be compelled to accept a payment that reaches 1/6 thaler in coins."

In terms of gold coins, there will be the crown and the half crown. “ To make the calculation easier, the crown is ideally divided into crown tenths, crown hundredths and grain thousandths ”. The mixing ratio is set at 900 parts gold and 100 parts copper. So 45 crowns and 90 half crowns will weigh a pound. The value of gold coins is determined by supply and demand, " so they have the property of a provincial law number means not and should be adopted, in that capacity, no one committed ".

Transitional provisions. Gutegroschen, Mariengroschen, sixes and matier pieces of the Brunswick style should be withdrawn gradually. The value of the 2 Mariengoschen piece is set at 1 groschen 7 pfennig, the Mariengroschen piece at 8 pfennig, the Gutegroschen at 1 groschen 2 pfennig, and the matier piece at 4 pfennig. The “ permission given to the local bank to issue banknotes for gold remains in force until further notice ”.

The law of December 18, 1834 (finance law) and March 30, 1837 (measure and weight system) have been repealed.

From January 1, 1868, the Duchy of Braunschweig became part of the North German Confederation . The groschen was no longer divided into ten, but into 12 groschen.

See also