Bremen coins
Bremen coins existed from the 11th century to July 1, 1872. This also deals with the imperial coins with Bremen reference and the emergency money issued in Bremen , but not Bremen medals and also not the coins of the imperial territory of Bremen-Verden as the successor to the Bremen archbishopric .
history
Medieval coinage of the archbishops
The role of the archbishop as territorial lord and his historical development from feudal lord to independent sovereign , whose economic power is increasingly exposed to urban competition, is clearly illustrated in the history of Bremen's coins. In the high Middle Ages, the right to mint coins was in principle a royal privilege. The important role of the imperial church is expressed in the numerous minting rights, especially to dioceses and abbeys. They helped to bind the Church even closer to the throne. So very early, in the year 888, the Archbishop of Bremen Rimbert was granted the right to mint together with market and customs rights. However, Bremen coins are only materially handed down from the 11th century. They were found only far east of the Elbe and in Scandinavia and apparently served primarily for long-distance trade to the north and northeast. Natural and barter economy prevailed at the place . The oldest coins still show the image of the king. This is followed in the 12th century by depictions of the archbishops with corresponding inscriptions. The only coin in the high medieval monetary system is the penny struck in silver , Latin denarius . The schilling unit of account contains 12 pfennigs, 20 schillings are calculated on one mark . The Bremen denarii from the first half of the 11th century weighed just over a gram and thus around three quarters of the Cologne pfennig (1.61 g), to which the other pfennigs of the German mints are also in fixed proportions.
The size of the coins increased considerably in the following years, but at the same time the weight of the coins ( shot ) and sometimes also the fineness (pure silver content, grain ) decreased . The pennies are so thin that they can no longer be minted on both sides, but rather show the negative shape of the coin on the reverse of the silver sheet. One of the main areas of distribution of these hollow pennies or bracteates is Lower Saxony. The Bremen bracteates are comparable in weight to those from other cities in the archbishopric, Stade, Hamburg, Lübeck and Lüneburg. From this and from the localities, the regional limitation of the circulation of the respective pfennig coins since the 12th century becomes clear. Each territorial lord protected his currency by compulsory exchange and thus used the lucrative currency exchange to absorb indirect taxes. The pledge of the coin and exchange booth to the city of Bremen gives an indication of the lucrative nature of these businesses. 125 Bremen marks (around 17 kilograms of silver) were worth an initial four-year cession of the coin income to Archbishop Albert, who was in financial difficulties.
During these years, under the pressure of the new types flowing in from Westphalia, a more differentiated system of coins became established. The oldest swarms , sware, heavy pfennigs worth three hollow pfennigs, are probably still archbishopric. The swarms were produced in large quantities, they were the everyday currency of Bremen until the 15th century. The Groten zu five Schwaren was minted in the city since the first half of the 15th century and then in large numbers under Archbishop Heinrich II (1463–96). Because in 1469 the seizure of coins to the city ended and the archbishop minted in Bremen again. For the first time Heinrich had Doppelgroten (before 1485) and, like almost all of his successors, also gold guilders minted. The number and value of the coin units continued to increase. Archbishop Johann III. introduced additional varieties: four times Groten (from 1499), Guldengroschen (a precursor of the thaler , 1511) and the Verding (a quarter of a cord). After the city had secured the great imperial minting privilege during the reign of Archbishop Christoph (1511–58) in 1541, a few thalers of his successor George are the last coins minted in the city by the sovereign. Bremervörde, in particular, is to be regarded as the archbishopric mint outside of Bremen. As a successor to the archbishopric, the Duchy of Bremen-Verden , which had come to Sweden, also minted its own coins.
| mark | Grote | Fester | Pennies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 32 | 160 | 384 |
| 1 | 5 | 15th | |
| 1 | 3 |
| Louis d'or | Valleys | Grote | Fester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 360 | 1800 |
| 1 | 72 | 360 | |
| 1 | 5 |
Note:
Mark and Louisd'or were mainly units of account, the Louisd'or was important from the 18th century.
Conversion without considering the agios .
Coin minting under city sovereignty from 1541
As Mint in the 15th century served the coin (Munte) on the corner of the hook and Long Street in the old town . In 1564 and 1583, respectively, the city set up its mint in the former Commandery of the Teutonic Order in Bremen . The mint remembered it for a long time. The mint was leased until 1634, so the mint masters were largely independent entrepreneurs who made a profit every time the silver deteriorated. After the commandery building was sold in 1808, Bremen did not have its own mint.
On May 24, 1541, Emperor Charles V granted the city of Bremen the privilege of minting coins and putting them into circulation in 1541. Now gold guilders, thalers of various values and other types were minted according to the imperial coinage system, without the detailed rules of which were observed, as was the case in other parts of the north. Grote and Sware continued to be minted for local payment transactions. The 2-grote-pieces corresponded to the groschen of the coinage system of the Lower Saxon Reichskreis , which had taken over the supreme mint supervision at that time. With the exception of Witten and Sware, the Bremen coins now bear the symbols of the empire on the reverse.
Due to the large number of sorts in circulation and their constantly changing conversions, with a tendency towards inferiority, coinage was not only confused and uncertain in Bremen. The basis of the trade was the fairly reliably minted Reichstaler. As a stopgap measure against the deterioration of other coins' money, between 1620 and 1636 they made use of a counter-stamp to mark older, good-quality double shillings of foreign currency with a Bremen key . In 1622 the thaler was finally set at 72 grotes. Grote and Schwaren remained the common Bremen coinage until 1872.
The ducats of the 17th century, which were minted in small numbers, were only used for representation, the city was completely dependent on foreign coins for trade. Because of the circulation of inferior silver money, Bremen trade and official monetary policy switched to gold currency in the 18th century and calculated according to Louis d'or , a gold coin also known as a pistol , but which was never minted in Bremen itself. Their equivalent was about 5 thalers. Bremen also did not join the Dresden Coin Treaty of 1838, which declared the Prussian double thaler = 3 ½ South German guilders as the club coin, nor the Vienna Treaty of 1857, which declared the slightly modified Prussian thaler to be the club thaler. The silver content of the “Thaler Gold” from 1863 (to commemorate the liberation from the French in 1813), 1865 (for the 2nd German federal shooting in Bremen) and 1871 (peace treaty) was more precisely adjusted to the gold standard.
From 1840 to 1857 Heinrich Wilkens' silver factory in Hemelingen minted most of the Bremen coins, after which the orders went to Hanover. On July 1, 1872, Bremen lost its mint sovereignty in the course of the establishment of the German Empire .
Types of coins used in Bremen
This overview follows the chronology of the earliest occurrence of each variety. Unless otherwise stated, until 1872 they were all silver coins.
The pfennig (denarius), a silver coin, was minted in Bremen from the 11th to the 14th century, most recently as a hollow pfennig ( bracteate ). His weight dropped from 1.1 g to less than 0.5 g over these years. The swarm that then emerged was charged with 3 pfennigs. Not minted in Bremen since the late 14th century, the pfennig was still in use until the 15th century, especially since it was still issued in other mints in Lower Saxony.
It was not until the Reich currency of 1872 that the pfennig was brought back to Bremen as the official dividing coin until the euro was introduced.
The Witte was coined in 1359/1389 both by the archbishop and soon after by the city of Bremen. In 1387 it should have a silver content of 1.117 g and corresponded to 2 flocks.
It is doubtful whether the Scherf (5 Scherf = 1 Schwaren) was ever struck as a coin in Bremen.
The Schwaren (“heavy penny”), originally weighing around 1 gram of silver, was first minted in Bremen around 1370, following the Westphalian model, and remained the most common money in the city until the 15th century. Five flocks corresponded to one Groten. From 1719–1866 they were only minted in copper; in 1872 they were completely abolished.
The Groten (plural: Grote), a German imitation of the gros tournois (thick pfennig from Tours ) replaced the pfennig as the main coin in Bremen in the 14th century and was struck here from around 1428. It remained in use until 1872, but its silver content fell from 3.8 g in 1369 to 0.24 g in 1840. Half of the Groten was made of copper from 1793 onwards.
With the Reichstaler , first minted by the city before 1514 by the archbishop and in 1542, Bremen participated in the issuance of this coin, which at that time became the main trade coin of the empire.
The mark , a popular unit of account for 32 grotes, was only issued materially in the city of Bremen in 1614 and 1617; Archbishop Johann Friedrich also had such pieces (“Bremer Marck”) struck in 1611. It was not until 1872 that the mark became the common (imperial) coin in Bremen.
A gold thaler from 1863, silver
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Gold coins only played a minor role in practical trade. But urban and archbishop's desire to represent was often just as much a reason for their development as economic interest. The archbishopsminted gold gulden from 1463 and Johann Friedrich (1596–1634), the largest gold coin from Bremen, minted a Portuguese (10 ducat coin struck according to the Portuguese model). The city also issued gold gulden from 1542 to 1637 and a few hundred ducats from 1640 to 1746. Since Bremen did not mint any gold coins of its own, the ideal gold currency of the 18th century in Bremen was a special case in German coin history and determined the monetary system until the establishment of the Empire . (See the article Taler Gold .)
Imperial and federal coins with reference to Bremen (from 1872)
After 1872, it was only possible to issue the imperial currency in Bremen. For example, in Hamburg in 1904 the 2-mark pieces, in 1906 the 5-mark pieces in silver and the 20-mark pieces in gold, and in 1907 the 10-mark pieces in gold.
After the First World War , the 10-pfennig piece in iron appeared as coins from 1920, the 50-pfennig piece in zinc, from 1921 the 25-pfennig piece in zinc, from 1925 the aluminum offset stamps minted in Hamburg at 1- Mark and for 10, 20, 50 pfennigs and made of brass for 2 pfennigs.
In 1927, 3-mark (150,000 pieces) and 5-mark coins (50,000 pieces) in silver were issued as commemorative coins for the 100th anniversary of Bremerhaven . The Bremen coat of arms appears in 1989, with all other coats of arms of the federal states, on a coin on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Federal Republic of Germany, when a 10 mark coin was minted.
So far, nine countries have decided to issue a commemorative coin of the Federal Republic of Germany as a commemorative double in euros in 2010. In 2010 a series of federal states will be continued with the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen . The Bremen Town Hall and the Bremen Roland are depicted on the coin . The coin is said to have a circulation of 30,000,000 pieces.
Bremen emergency money
After the inflation in Germany and the currency reform on November 15, 1923, the Bremen Treasury issued emergency money based on the US dollar . They were available in banknotes and as coins of 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 Verrechnungspfenning as well as 1 Verrechnungsmark, which corresponded to 5 US cents. A 25 Pfennig coin had the inscription "Notgeld der Stadt Bremen 1921" on the front and the Roland with the inscription "Der Roland 1404" on the back. The emergency money was hardly used and on September 30, 1924 it was again invalid. Reichsmark (RM) and Reichspfennig were the usual currency units in notes and coins in nickel.
Coin metals and denominations
There were coins in iron, nickel, zinc, aluminum, copper, silver and gold.
- Coins in copper as
- 1 flock from 1719, 2 1/2 flocks from 1802, 1820 and from 1841
- 1/2 Grotencoin from 1719
- Coins in silver as
- Mark pieces and 2 mark pieces
- 1/4 Reichstaler, 1/2 Reichstaler
- 1/2 Grote, 1 Grote, 2 Grote, 3 Grote, 4 Grote, 6 Grote, 8 Grote, 12 Grote, 24 Grote, 36 Grote
- Schwaren until 1719 and Dütchen
- 2 and 5 marks (1904) and 3 and 5 marks (1927)
- Coins in gold as
- Ducats in Germany from 1559 to 1857
- Gold guilders in Germany until the 16th century
- 10 and 20 mark coins (1906/07)
Some coins and the appearance of the coins without the legend:
| Surname | time | Coin sovereignty | front | back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 pfennig | middle Ages | archbishop | Brema with A sign | |
| Groten | 14th century | City of Bremen | Bremen key | cross |
| Witten | 14th century | City of Bremen | Bremen key | cross |
| 1 Groten | 16.-18. Century | City of Bremen | Bremen key | Imperial eagle |
| Gold guilders | 16th century | City of Bremen | Bremen key | Imperial eagle |
| 4 Grote | 16th century | Archdiocese of Bremen and Verden |
Archbishop Christoph on throne |
Bremen key |
| 36 Grote | 16. – 19. Century | City of Bremen | Bremen coat of arms | 36 Groten |
| Valleys | 15-17 Century | City of Bremen | Bremen coat of arms | Imperial eagle |
| 1/12 thaler | 17th century | Archdiocese of Bremen and Verden |
Crown and two entwined C |
Cross and 1/12 thaler |
| 2 marks | 17th century | Duchy of Bremen and Verden |
Duke (King) Charles XI. |
Crown |
| Sextuplets | 17th century | Duchy of Bremen and Verden |
Double crossed Bremen key |
Sextuplets |
| 1 swarms | 18th century | City of Bremen | Bremen key | 1 swarms |
| 5 marks | 1906 | The German Imperium | Bremen coat of arms | Imperial eagle |
Bremen numismatics
The Schellhaß'sche Münzsammlung , which became the property of Bremen in 1870 , was organized by the merchant Hermann Jungk (1834–1902); all 1,218 coins from Bremen that were minted up to 1875 were described in detail by him, as well as the Bremen medals. The collection was exhibited in the Bremen Trade Museum from 1873 on Kaiserstraße (today Mayor-Smidt-Straße ). The trade museum was incorporated into the Focke Museum in 1925 . The coin collection has been supplemented there and has been preserved. The Bremen coin history is also a focus of activity of the Bremen Numismatic Society, which publishes its own series.
See also
- German monetary history before 1871
- Medieval coins
- Vereinstaler with value comparisons for small coins
- Bremen silver coin find
- Johann Blum , a Bremen medalist
proof
- ↑ Jungk, Bremische Münzen, p. 109 ff.
literature
- Johann Philipp Cassel : Complete coin cabinet of Bremen . Part 1/2, Bremen 1772.
- Wilhelm Jesse: On the older coin and money history of Bremen . In: Bremisches Jahrbuch , Volume 36, Bremen 1936.
- Wilhelm Jesse: Bremen's more recent coin history . In: Bremisches Jahrbuch , Volume 38, 1939.
- George Anton Löning: The right to mint in the Archdiocese of Bremen . H. Böhlau, Weimar 1937, Library of Congress Classification: HG1010 B7 L6
- Hermann Jungk: The Bremen coins - coins and medals of the Archdiocese and the city of Bremen . Bremen 1875. (Basic, with historical and legal minting outline, catalog and tables) Digitized
- Konrad Schneider: The minting of imperial coins with the emblem of Bremen in the Hamburg mint . In: Bremisches Jahrbuch Nr. 62, Bremen 1984, pp. 103–121. (On the issues from 1904 to 1906).
- Michael Stadler: The Bremen Swaren penninge in the 14th and 15th centuries . In: Bremen contributions to the history of coins and money , Volume 1, 1997, p. 41 (with supplements in Volume 4).
- Dietrich Schmidtsdorff: Bremen emergency coins and stamps . (= Bremen contributions to the history of coins and money, Volume 2), Bremen 1999.
- Christoph Stadler and Michael Stadler: The undated city of Bremen swarms from 1541–1675 . In: Bremen contributions to the history of coins and money . Volume 3, 2001, pp. 101-114.
- Klaus Giesen: The bracteates of the Archbishops of Bremen from the 2nd half of the 12th century . In: Bremen contributions to the history of coins and money . Volume 6, p. 47.
- Oliver A. Bongartz: German monetary history illustrated using the example of Bremen . (= Bremen contributions to the history of coins and money, vol. 9), Bremen 2014.
