Sangerhausen Mint

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Landgrave Balthasar of Thuringia (1349 / 79–1406) had the Sangerhausen mint built in 1391 . The Meissen groschen of the new mint were the first groschen struck outside the state mint in Freiberg . When Balthasar died in 1406, the landgrave's mint was closed.

Elector Friedrich II of Saxony (1428–1464) reopened the mint from around 1445 to 1449. The coinage was probably carried out to compensate for the fact that Duke Wilhelm III. (1445–1482) had groschen hit during the war in Jena .

history

The state main mint of the Wettins has been in Freiberg since the 13th century . In addition, the Meissnian-Saxon sovereign princes established other mints in Sangerhausen , Zwickau , Gotha , Leipzig , Weimar , Colditz , Wittenberg and Langensalza for the production of their silver groschen currency at the end of the 14th and 15th centuries , some of them only temporarily and with interruptions were in operation.

Coin minted under Balthasar

In 1391, groschen were minted for the first time in the history of Meissnian groschen outside the state mint in Freiberg, in the newly established Sangerhausen mint. The new coin was built for payment obligations in the Harz silver mining. This year, Landgrave Balthasar von Thuringia gave his long-time Freiberg mint master Nyckel von Meideburg († 1401) the order to strike groschengeld in Sangerhausen for the same grist and grain as in Freiberg. Meissnian groschen were initially marked with a small s in front of the standing lion. Balthasar's brother, Margrave and Landgrave Friedrich III. (1349-1381), had acquired the city of Sangerhausen in 1369 from Duke Magnus of Braunschweig for 800 shock- width groschen. Mint master Meideburg, who himself had set up silver mines and smelting works in the Harz, was obliged, like Count von Stolberg , to deliver all the silver to the newly built mint. Since the groschen from Sangerhausen with the symbol s rarely appear, it can be assumed that Balthasar only had these coins minted for two years. From 1393, the landgrave's groschen had the additional character b (princely groschen) in front of the soaring Meißner lion , as did his Freiberg groschen. Since the groschen from Sangerhausen had to differ from the groschen of the state coin, the CR VX legend was arranged from 1393 to around the end of 1395 so that it begins under the word GRACIA. From 1396 until the mint closed in 1406, the Sangerhausen groschen BALThA was stamped as an abbreviation for the name Balthasar as a distinguishing feature. The landgrave's groschen struck in the Freiberg mint bear the abbreviated name BALTh.

After the death of the mint master Nyckel von Meideburg († beginning of 1401), who from 1392 to 1395 had all the silver mines in the reign of Count Heinrich zu Stolberg from Landgrave Balthasar, Balthasar transferred the office of mint master in Sangerhausen to Andreas Müller and his son Claus. He assigned the mint master's widow an annual pension of 20 shock groschen from the Sangerhäuser or Freiberg mint for the long and loyal service of her husband  . There is also documentary evidence that the landgrave confirmed the mining law to the widow and her children. Meideburg had been the mint master in Freiberg since 1380, where he minted most of Balthasar's groschen. Eleven years later he was also the mint master in Sangerhausen.

Minting under Friedrich II.

With the death of Landgrave Balthasar in 1406, groschen minting in Sangerhausen ended at the latest. Elector Friedrich II of Saxony, however, took the mint from around 1445 to 1449, probably because of the minting of his brother Wilhelm III. in Jena again in operation.

Probably the Zwickau mint master Jürge Silberborner was also active in the reopened Thuringian mint in Sangerhausen, despite the so-called fratricidal war . The town of Sangerhausen was then part of the Meissnian possession of the home country.

Place of the mint

The medieval groschencoin was probably in the old castle in the so-called mint tower. After the Thuringian landgraves died out, Heinrich the Illustrious (1221–1230–1288) had Sangerhausen expanded as a border fortress for the Wettins in 1249 and the old castle built above the city as a fortified castle. From the old castle, today the seat of the music school of the district Sangerhausen, only remnants of the former buildings on the east side of the old market remain.

Tipper and luffing time

In the time of money falsification, the tipper and wipper era , the monopoly of the Dresden Mint was broken with the establishment of tipper mints. In Sangerhausen, too, the production of so-called interim or tipper coins, which was being carried out on an ever larger scale, began in 1621. Only those minted for Elector Johann Georg I (1611–1656) in 1621 are known

  • 24 and 30 cruiser pieces as well
  • Doppelschreckberger.

The mint master of the tipper mint Friedrich Ulm used the mint mark S.

In Johann Ludwig Schmidt's treatise on the types of coins (1792) the tipper mint in Sangerhausen is mentioned:

The chronicles are now and then full of descriptions of the miserable state of coinage and the great dearth of money at that time. Sam is particularly strange among them. Müller's chronicle of the city of Sangerhausen, published in 4 th in 1731. On p. 10. 11. and 12. this story is made in the following words: “At the castle, namely at Sangerhausen, is ao. A coin was built in 1621; for at that time Satan had reduced the coins. [...] Carl Christoph von Brandenstein, Cammertath, and afterwards Grafe was Director, types of coins were beaten, half-drams-piece, Engelthaler , too-three finally five guilders, half Engelthaler, gepräget by the angels to genennt, eight Groschen and four groschen pieces, groschen and pennies. But if almost everything was pure copper, just eroded and made white, that lasted about eight days, then the condition turned red [...]. "

Carl Christoph von Brandenstein was electoral chamber councilor and advisor to the elector. The minting of the so-called Kipper coins was his responsibility in Saxony. Little is known about his work, as all too informative files were probably removed.

The coins of the mint

Landgrave Balthasar, Fürstengroschen undated (1405/1406), Sangerhausen. (KRUG 558/1)
Landgrave Balthasar, Thuringian or Helmgroschen no year (1405/06), Sangerhausen. (KRUG 578/1)
Elector Friedrich II., New shock or 6-Hellergroschen no year (1444–1451), Zwickau (and Sangerhausen until 1449?). (KRUG 807/1)
Elector Friedrich II. And Duke Wilhelm (III.), Schildgroschen undated (1442/1444) (1449?), Zwickau (and Sangerhausen until 1449?). (KRUG 1072/2)

Landgrave Balthasar of Thuringia

Special features of the groschen are:

  • 1391–1393: Sign "s" for Sangerhausen
  • 1393–1395: character “b” (so-called royal groschen up to 1406) and additionally for Sangerhausen CR VX beginning under GRACIA
  • 1396–1406: Abbreviated name BALthA on Sangerhausen groschen, as well as helmet groschen (Thuringian groschen) coined in 1405/06 in Sangerhausen. The abbreviated name BALTh is stamped on the Freiberg Groschen.

Balthasar had the following groschen coins minted:

  • Meißner Groschen 1391–1393, with a small s in the field in front of the soaring Meißner lion and with a small spherical cross in front of its head. In quatrefoil the lily cross (JUG 470-472).
  • Fürstengroschen 1393–1395, with a b in front of the soaring lion as well as with a ring mark in front of or behind the lion's head and in the curvature of the tail. The lily cross in quatrefoil (KRUG 491-499).
  • Fürstengroschen 1396–1406, with a b in front of the soaring lion as well as with a ring mark behind the lion's head and in the curvature of the tail or just behind the lion's head. In the quatrefoil the lily cross. The abbreviated prince name for coins in Sangerhausen is BALThA. In the period 1405–1406 additional cross-punctuation in the legend on the reverse (KRUG 524–539, 556–573).
  • Helmet groschen (Thuringian groschen) 1405–1406. In the quatrefoil the lily cross covered with a lion's shield, on the back the Thuringian helmet jewel with seven sticks on each side . The abbreviated prince name on coins in the Sangerhausen mint is BALThA (KRUG 576-579).

Elector Friedrich II. The Meek of Saxony

  • Schildgroschen 1442 to around 1449, Zwickau Mint (and Sangerhausen from 1445?) With Mmz. St. Andrew's Cross (inclined cross) / 6-pointed star, without markings and with TVRINGS. The lily cross in the quatrefoil, above the Landsberg stake shield , on the back the lion rising to the left, holding the Landsberg shield in front of him (KRUG 741-747).
  • New shock or 6 Hellergroschen 1444 to around 1451, Zwickau mint (and Sangerhausen from 1445 to 1449?) With Mmz on both sides. 6-pointed star. The flower cross in quatrefoil covered with the Landsberg stake shield, on the back the Meissen lion rising to the left, in front of it in the field an f (KRUG 804–812).

Elector Friedrich II. With his brother Duke Wilhelm (III.) Of Thuringia

  • Schildgroschen 1442/1444 (1449?) Mint Zwickau (and Sangerhausen from 1445?) With Mmz. St. Andrew's Cross (inclined cross) / 6-pointed star. The lily cross in the quatrefoil, above the Landsberg stake shield, on the back the lion rising to the left, holding the Landsberg shield in front of him (KRUG 1067-1077).

Mint master of the Sangerhausen Mint

Mint master from to Mintmaster's mark comment
Nyckel from Meideburg 1391 1401 1380–1401 also in Freiberg
Andreas Müller and son Claus 1402 (?) 1405/06
Juerge Silberborner 1442/44 1449 X ( St. Andrew's Cross), six-pointed star in Sangerhausen from 1445 (?) and Zwickau

See also

literature

  • Gerhard Krug: The Meissnian-Saxon Groschen 1338–1500 , Berlin 1974
  • Walther Haupt: Saxon coinage . German Verl. D. Wiss., Berlin 1974
  • Heinz Fengler, Gerd Gierow, Willy Unger: transpress Lexikon Numismatics , Berlin 1976
  • Friedrich von Schrötter, N. Bauer, K. Regling, A. Suhle, R. Vasmer, J. Wilcke: Dictionary of Coin Studies (reprint of the original edition from 1930), Berlin 1970
  • Otto F. Müller: Otto Merseburger Collection comprising coins and medals from Saxony, sales catalog , Leipzig 1894

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Gerhard Krug: The Meissnisch-Saxon Groschen 1338–1500 , Berlin 1974, p. 80
  2. ↑ Wolfgang Steguweit: History of the Gotha Mint from the 12th to the 19th Century , Weimar 1987, p. 30
  3. ^ Gerhard Krug: The Meissnisch-Saxon Groschen 1338-1500 , Berlin 1974, p. 81; 143
  4. ^ Numismatischer Verein zu Dresden e. V. (Ed.): Dresden Numismatic Booklet, No. 1/1996. In it: Paul Arnold: The Genealogy of the Meißnisch-Saxon Princes , p. 10
  5. ↑ Gerhard Krug: The Meissnisch-Saxon Groschen 1338-1500 , Berlin 1974, p. 52
  6. ↑ Gerhard Krug: The Meissnisch-Saxon Groschen 1338-1500 , Berlin 1974, p. 53; 130
  7. ^ Gerhard Krug: The Meissnisch-Saxon Groschen 1338–1500 , Berlin 1974, p. 53
  8. ^ Gerhard Krug: The Meissnisch-Saxon Groschen 1338–1500 , Berlin 1974, p. 126
  9. ^ Gerhard Krug: The Meissnisch-Saxon Groschen 1338–1500 , Berlin 1974, p. 57
  10. ↑ Gerhard Krug: The Meissnisch-Saxon Groschen 1338–1500 , Berlin 1974, p. 80; 146; 157
  11. ↑ Sangerhausen tourist, mentioned therein: Mint tower with coin in the old Sangerhausen Castle (p. 12 and 22/23) (PDF; 2.8 MB)
  12. ↑ Baedeker Allianz Travel Guide Harz, 9th edition 2010, p. 317
  13. ↑ Tourism and Leisure: Old Sangerhausen Castle
  14. ^ Walther Haupt: Sächsische Münzkunde . German Verl. D. Wiss., Berlin 1974, p. 202; 235
  15. ↑ Johann Ludwig Schmidt: Detailed treatise on the types of coins in which a monetary debt is to be paid off , Jena 1792, p. 39 (37)
  16. ^ Walther Haupt: Sächsische Münzkunde . German Verl. D. Wiss., Berlin 1974, p. 133
  17. ^ Gerhard Krug: The Meissnisch-Saxon Groschen 1338–1500 , Berlin 1974, p. 126
  18. ↑ mcsearch: Prince o dime J. (1405/1406), Sanger Hausen.. (KRUG 558/1)
  19. ↑ coinarchives: Landgraf Balthasar, Thuringian or helmet o dime J. (1405/06), Sanger Hausen.. (KRUG 578/1)
  20. ↑ coinarchives: .. Elector Frederick II, New shock or 6-penny Heller undated (1444-1451), Zwickau (and Sangerhausen to 1449?). (KRUG 807/1)
  21. ↑ mcsearch: .. Elector Friedrich Wilhelm II and Duke (III.), Sign dime o J. (1442/1444) (? 1449), Zwickau (and Sangerhausen to 1449?). (KRUG 1072/2)