Brunswick coin history

some Brunswick coins

Double thaler

Braunschweig coats of arms on coins

The Brunswick monetary history in the narrower sense includes the coinage in the period from 1814 (foundation of the Duchy of Brunswick ) and 1948 (founding of the country Lower Saxony ).

prehistory

The Duchy of Braunschweig emerged as a result of the Congress of Vienna from the Principality of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel , which in turn was part of the Duchy of Braunschweig-Lüneburg .

After the tipper and wipper era , the Mariengeld was introduced in Braunschweig from 1623 . The main coin of the Mariengelde was the Mariengulden , which was divided into 20 Mariengroschen . A Reichstaler after the official 9-taler coin standard was worth the Braunschweig region 36 Mariengroschen. In addition to whole and half gulden pieces , 4, 2 and 1 Mariengroschen and half Mariengroschen ( Matthier ) were minted. The 4-Mariengroschen piece weighed 2.35-2.5 g, the 2-Mariengroschen pieces 1.10-1.4 g. The picture of Maria had given way to the value with the addition “From fine silver”.

In the Zinna coin agreement, Brandenburg and Saxony agreed the lighter one ( Zinna coin foot ), according to which 10½ taler coins should be minted from the fine mark. This thaler had a calculated fine weight of 22.22 g. Divided into 24 groschen, it formed the basis for the new course coin, the ⅔ thaler, which corresponded to 60 southern German cruisers of the time and thus one guldentaler. Since 1668, the Dukes of Braunschweig followed the Zinna Mint Treaty. It was true that it stayed with the Mariengeld, and they also deviated from the Zinnaer Münzfuß. However, 24 and 12 Mariengroschen were immediately minted, corresponding to the ⅔ and ⅓ thaler of the Zinnaer foot. The Brunswick ⅔ thalers have an average weight of 16.47 g in 1675.

In 1687 Braunschweig went down to the 12 thaler coin footprint ( Leipziger Münzfuß ). 12-solder ⅔ pieces were stamped. Of these, 13½ went from the mark, i.e. H. they had a mass of 19.32 g. The Leipziger Münzfuß was also used for the small coins. The small varieties were applied from 1/12 thaler or double groschen downwards. The name AFTER THE LEIPZIGER FVS appears for the first time on the 6 Mariengroschen from Braunschweig in 1696, and in 1699 also on the 1/12 thalers.

In 1748 the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation minted a 20 guilder or 10 thaler from the 900/1000 fine mark for his Austrian territories. This means that one thaler contained 23.386 g of fine silver, one guilder half. This standard was the basis of the coinage convention that was concluded between Austria and Bavaria in 1753. Braunschweig joined in 1764. The main coin was the convention thaler . In Braunschweig a convention thaler was divided into 32 Mariengroschen. The half thaler / 1 gulden thus corresponded to the previous ⅔ thaler; it bears the inscription "XX a fine mark". Pieces were minted according to the convention footing down to the 1/12 thaler piece.

In addition to silver coins, gold coins were in circulation. In 1710, the Harz began to mint ducats from resin gold . Based on the French Louisdor or the Spanish pistol , the Principality of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel had the Karsdors , a pistol, minted in 1742 . Gold coupons from silver and especially copper coins in ducat weight were popular.

1808 to 1838

On January 1, 1808, the “ Code Napoleon ” was introduced as a civil code in the Kingdom of Westphalia . At the same time, the French franc becomes the national currency. Since January 1, 1809, the decimal calculation and the metric system had been introduced. The French franc was the national currency, but the coins of other currencies in the country remained in use. King Jerôme developed a lively minting activity between 1808 and 1813. He had coins minted in the French currency, in gold 20, 10 and 5 francs , in silver 5, 2 and ½ francs, in trillion 20, 10, 5 and 2 centimes and in copper 5 , 3, 2 and 1 centimes. But also pistols and, according to the convention footing, ⅔ thalers and 24 Mariengroschen 1/6, 1/12 and 1/24 thalers. Then there are Mariengroschen, 4 pfennigs and 2 and 1 pfennig copper coins, and in the Leipzig foot 24 Mariengroschen.

After the peace treaty of 1815, there were no fundamental changes in German coinage, neither in terms of monetary law nor in the monetary standard. In the constitution of the German Confederation of 35 sovereign princes, which replaced the old German Empire, the sovereignty of coins remained unchanged, reserved for the individual federal states, which initially continued to mint according to the coin feet adopted from the 18th century.

Friedrich Wilhelm (Duke 1806–1815) had resin gold ducats and simple pistols minted at 10 and 5 thalers as well as Mariengroschen, 1/6 and 1/12 thalers as well as 6 pfennigs after the convention footing, plus 4, 2 - and 1 penny made of copper. Charles II (Duke 1815–1823) had the same coins minted until he was expelled in 1830, plus speciestaler and half a conventional thaler for "XX aus der fein Mark".

1838 to 1871

In July 1838, the German Mint Association was founded. Prussia, the southern German and numerous central German states with the Free City of Frankfurt created a coin system based on the Prussian 14 thaler foot. The central denomination as the " club coin " was the double thaler = 3½ South German guilders. So seven double thalers of 33.4 g and 3½ guilders were struck from the fine Cologne mark. The fineness of the silver was set at 900/1000. Hanover, Braunschweig, Oldenburg and Bremen had not joined the German Mint Association. In practice, however, Hanover had already adopted the Prussian standard in 1834 and since then has minted 14 thalers from the fine mark, and from 1854 also 2 thalers club coins. Braunschweig followed the example of Hanover in 1837 with thalers after the 14 thaler foot and from 1842 also minted the club coin of 2 thalers.

Duchy of Braunschweig Duke Wilhelm
Krone 1858
Mz. Braunschweig 31,865 pieces Mm
. B - Johann W.Chr. Brumleu
Edition 1858–1859 45,298 copies in total Marginal writing
: NEC _{~ * ~} ASPERA _{~ * ~} TERRENT _{~ * ~}

In the meantime, in 1853, new negotiations on the coin question had started, now with the participation of Austria. On January 24, 1857, in Vienna, they led to the conclusion of the Vienna Mint Treaty, which now all German federal states except the Hanseatic cities, Mecklenburg and Holstein have joined. The previous club coins of 2 and 1 thaler remained the same, and nothing was changed at the base of the coin. But now the old Cologne mark was given up as a unit of weight and the inch pound of 500 g was introduced. From the pound fine, 30 club thalers or 15 double thalers were minted, as is expressed in the corresponding inscriptions. The monetary standard of 1857 was for the double thalers 13½ pieces of 900 fine silver = 37.03 (33.23 g), for the thalers 27 pieces = 18.51 (16.6) and for the 1/6 thalers 93, 6 pieces 520 fine = 5.34 (2.77) g. As a gold coin of the new mint the crown of 50 pieces from the pound fine = 10 g fine, but its minting was free to the members.

A gold crown appeared in Braunschweig in 1859, Vereinstaler since 1858, lastly in 1871. Groschen at 30 on the Taler 1857/60 and in copper 2 and 1 pfennigs 1859/60. The mint in Braunschweig was closed in 1859 and the last coins have been minted in Hanover since then. The imprint became more and more uniform. On the larger types of coins, the bare head of the sovereign with a sloping neck section is the rule, on the smaller coins the coat of arms, in Hanover and Braunschweig the jumping horse, plus inscriptions in the field or in the wreath. Among the die-cutters we find artists, especially for the portraits, such as Friedrich Brehmer in Hanover 1815–53 and JG Fritz in Braunschweig 1835–1852, who also signed their products .

Since 1871

After the establishment of the German Empire on January 18, 1871, due to the constitution of April 16, 1871, the sovereignty of coins was transferred exclusively to the Reich. The new imperial coins were in gold 900, the values of 20, 10 and 5 (until 1877) marks, in silver 5, 2, 1 mark, 50 pfennig (since 1904: ½ mark) and 20 pfennig (until 1886), also 900 fine. The marrow weighed 5.5 (4.95) g. Pieces of 10 and 5 pfennig were minted from nickel, in 1886–88 also for 20 and 1909–12 for 25 pfennig, and copper for 2 and 1 pfennig. In 1908 the old thaler returned as a 3-mark piece at 16.6 (14.99) g. The imperial eagle was uniformly prescribed for the reverse of all imperial coins. The front was left to the federal states, which showed the heads of the federal princes or the coats of arms of the Free Cities.

Reichsbanknote 5 billion marks

The outcome of the war from 1914 to 1918 shook the fixed currency structure and led to inflation in 1921-23 . In addition to a veritable flood of Reichsbanknotes, which alone employed 30 paper factories and 133 printing works, there was the emergency paper money of the states, districts, municipalities and private companies. There was also emergency money made of iron, tin, zinc, aluminum or porcelain, which only tried to create a good coin image here and there, primarily with porcelain money. We know Hartnotgeld in values mostly of 5, 10, 20 and 50 Pfennig from Braunschweig (Land and State Bank), Bremen, Hanover, Hildesheim, Leer, Lüneburg, Northeim and Peine, also from Oldenburg, Osterode and the Lower Weser cities. Peine also issued original porcelain money worth 10,000 M " tipper money ", which, however, had no real circulation.

Also among the paper emergency notes there are a lot of notes with a value of mostly 5 to 50 or 75 pfennigs, which are printed with many colorful and often very tasteful and original depictions of the city's history and the like, but were hardly in circulation. Such emergency notes are also available from Braunschweig. At least they enliven the desolate picture of that time. The Reich itself only minted 3-mark aluminum coins in 1922 and coins at 200 and 500 marks in 1923.

The founding of the Rentenbank in October 1923 and the issuance of the " Rentenmark " = 1 trillion paper marks = 10/12 dollars finally brought about a turnaround and paved the way for more or less normal money and coinage. The laws of March 20 and August 21, 1924 basically returned to the gold standard and at the same time decided to mint new silver coins of 1, 2, 3 and 5 Reichsmarks from 500 fine silver in addition to pieces of aluminum bronze of 5 and 10 as well as copper 2 and 1 Reichspfennig. Under the republic, the new coins were now completely identical to the new imperial eagle on the front for the whole empire, but commemorative coins were also permitted. Mention should be made of the 3 and 5 mark pieces for the Lessing year 1929, which was mainly celebrated in Braunschweig (Lessing's head from Rud. Bosselt in Braunschweig).

As a result of the coin reform of 1933, new silver coins were introduced, namely pieces of 2 and 5 Reichsmarks made of 900 and 625 fine silver, respectively. The 3-mark piece finally disappeared from German coin history.

literature

Matthias Bethge (ed.): Coins and medals of the Guelphs , collection of the museums of the city of Gotha; Städtisches Museum Braunschweig October 16 - December 9, 1990, Braunschweig: Städtisches Museum, 1990 exhibition catalog
Bert Bilzer : Outline of the history of coins and money in the state of Braunschweig , Braunschweig, 1980, Rev. u. exp. from: Braunschweigische Landesgeschichte , 3rd edition 1979
Wilhelm Jesse : Coin and monetary history of Lower Saxony , Braunschweig: Orphanage book printing [u. a.] 1952, work pieces from the museum, archive and library of the city of Braunschweig
Wolfgang Leschhorn : Brunswick coins and medals. 1000 years of coin art and monetary history in the city and country of Braunschweig , Appelhans-Verlag 2010, ISBN 978-3-941737-22-8
Stefan Roth: Monetary History and Coin Policy in the Duchy of Braunschweig-Lüneburg in the Late Middle Ages. Part 1: The Braunschweig Mint's account books. (Publications of the Historical Commission for Lower Saxony and Bremen, edited by the Historical Commission for Lower Saxony and Bremen, Volume 293), Wallstein Verlag, Göttingen 2018, ISBN 978-3-8353-3251-5 .
Stefan Roth: Monetary History and Coin Policy in the Duchy of Braunschweig-Lüneburg in the Late Middle Ages. Part 2: Monetary History and Coin Catalog. (Publications of the Historical Commission for Lower Saxony and Bremen, edited by the Historical Commission for Lower Saxony and Bremen, Volume 294), Wallstein Verlag, Göttingen 2018, ISBN 978-3-8353-3143-3 .

Web links

Müntze (Brunswick). In: Johann Heinrich Zedler : Large complete universal lexicon of all sciences and arts . Volume 22, Leipzig 1739, column 473 f.