Mecklenburg coin history

The Mecklenburg coin history begins, apart from finds of ancient and early and high medieval coins, with the minting of its own coins at the beginning of the 13th century and ends with the introduction of the imperial currency by the imperial coin laws of 1871 and 1873. The coin history of Mecklenburg includes not only the sovereign Coins, but also those of the cities with their own right to mint , such as B. the Hanseatic cities of Wismar and Rostock.

The high medieval beginnings

The minting of bracteates embossed on one side with the Mecklenburg bull's head began around the year 1201. Apart from the motif of the bull's head, these small silver coins were similar to the hollow pfennigs minted in Hamburg and Lübeck at the same time . While the minting of these bracteates was retained for a longer period in the west, the east began to produce denarii and so-called "finch eyes" minted on both sides according to the Pomeranian and Brandenburg model.

Wendish Mint Association

Witten (1379)

The Mecklenburg cities of Rostock and Wismar acquired the right to mint in the 14th century . They were therefore able to join the Wendish Mint Association and, from 1379 , mint the Witten , a silver four-penny coin. The Mecklenburg territorial rulers also shaped the Witten, but without becoming a member of the Wendish Mint Association.

From the end of the 14th century, the coinage of Wittens was supplemented by the coinage of two further denominations : the Dreiling (a 3 pfennig piece) and the sextuplet (its double, a 6 pfennig piece). From 1432 the minting of the shilling with a value of 12 pfennigs followed and from 1468 the double shilling with a value of 24 pfennigs. This system was to be maintained until the end of the Mecklenburg coinage, even if these coins were only small coins later in the 18th and 19th centuries .

Early modern age

To mint 2/3 mark pieces from 1502 to Mecklenburg initially oriented hamburgisch-Lübeck's model, but then changed from 1540 to Taler embossing by Saxon model.

During the Thirty Years' War , Mecklenburg was also flooded with inferior tipper coins that hardly contained any silver , while better-quality money disappeared from circulation (" Gresham's Law "). But even after the end of the Thirty Years' War, at the end of the 17th century, the money in circulation was flooded with inferior coins from so-called "hedge mints".

Copper threesome from the time of Duke Adolf Friedrich I.

Value side of the copper three-piece from 1622, minted in Gadebusch

18th century

After the Prussian coin reform of 1750 , Mecklenburg minted significantly lower coins, the circulation of which was banned in Prussia. Since the ban was insufficient, Prussian troops destroyed the Schwerin mint in 1762 in order to prevent the flow of inferior coins to Prussia. The main aim was to prevent the further development of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1/12 and 1/6 thalers, which were brought into circulation by Mecklenburg-Schwerin in the years 1758 to 1762. From 1763 the Mecklenburg coin system was stabilized. Mecklenburg-Schwerin followed the 11 1/3 thaler foot of the Hamburg-Lübeck coin system. Mecklenburg-Strelitz introduced the 13 1/3 thaler foot.

19th century

From 1848 the 14 thaler coin footprint is the national currency in both grand duchies. When the Vienna Mint Treaty was signed by almost all German states on January 24, 1857, they did not join it. However, they expected that the new club coins would also come into circulation in their countries. Therefore, on January 22nd, 1858, in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, the previously circulating coins of the 14 thaler based on the Cologne mark were equated with those of the 30 thaler based on the customs pound according to the ordinance of January 12, 1848. Two and one club thalers and their parts were accepted as means of payment. However, the existing state regulations on gold and token coins have not been changed. Corresponding regulations existed in Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The traditional subdivision of the national currency was retained:

1 thaler =	48 shillings =	576 pfennings
	1 shilling =	12 pfennings

The following coins were minted after the 30 thaler standard was adopted:

Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Minting time	piece	Nominal	Out of course on	Exchange rate
1864	100,000	Thaler (30 thaler coin footer)	10/01/1907	3 marks
1858, 1860 to 1864, 1866	2,034,240	1/48 thaler = 1 shilling	10/01/1875	6 pfennigs
1858 to 1864	1,075,968	3 pennies	10/01/1875	2 pfennigs

Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Minting time	piece	Nominal	Out of course on	Exchange rate
1870	50,000	Thaler (30 thaler coin footer)	10/01/1907	3 marks
1859, 1862, 1866	720,000	1/48 thaler = 1 shilling	10/01/1875	6 pfennigs
1862 and 1864	579,840	3 pennies	10/01/1875	2 pfennigs

Both of them had Mecklenburg minted in the Schwerin Mint until 1847 . After the Schwerin mint was closed, the Prussian mint was used for both grand duchies. Wismar and Rostock used their coin rack for copper coins by minting copper 1 and 3 pfennigs until 1854 (Wismar) and 1864 (Rostock) respectively.

With the establishment of the Reich in 1871 and the passage of the first Reich Coin Act on December 4, 1871, the new currency of the German Empire was made known: The tenth part of the 10 Mark gold coin is called "Mark" and is divided into 100 pfennigs. Further imperial coins and their technical data have not yet been specified and possible forms have been prohibited.

Both Grand Dukes jointly ignored these provisions and already decreed the introduction of the new Mark currency on December 23, 1871, divided into 100 pfennigs. The exact time should still be published. The advance was justified by the lack of regional coins and the delays in clarifying the realm coinage. This ordinance was announced on January 11, 1872.

As new dividing coins, 10- and 5-pfennig pieces in silver and 5, 3-and 1-pfennig pieces in copper were to be minted and put into circulation in advance. At the same time, the previous schilling pieces and copper coins were to be withdrawn. The exchange rate was set at 48 old pfennigs = 25 new pfennigs. It corresponded to that of the Reichsmark bill from January 1, 1874 (see exchange rates table above). The Dresden mint was commissioned in 1872 to mint the aforementioned 5, 3 and 1 pfennig pieces. The issue of silver coins failed due to the procurement of silver.

Due to the increasing shortage of coins, the state government of Mecklenburg-Strelitz declared on March 8, 1873 that the minted copper coins would now be put into circulation. However, there was no obligation to accept. The Ministry of Finance of Mecklenburg-Schwerin declared on March 22, 1873 that the city coffers could request the new copper coins and put them into circulation if necessary. These coins were only issued nationwide after the introduction of the Reichsmark calculation on December 1, 1873.

These coins contained transcriptions that indicated the ratio of the coins to the new mark. These coins were the first pieces in the German Empire to feature the name of the new currency "Mark" on the mint. Because on the realm gold coins minted in 1871 and 1872 the currency denomination was only given with "M."

The coins did not meet the design requirements of the Reich Coin Act of July 9, 1873 on the new copper coins and their technical data. However, in Article 15 of the Coin Act, an obligation to accept these state copper coins in place of the imperial coins was only included in the two Grand Duchies of Mecklenburg at their face value.

The Federal Council only suspended these coins on March 1, 1878. They had to be exchanged for imperial coins at their face value at the state coffers of the two grand duchies by June 1, 1878.


5 pfennigs			Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1815 to 1918
Copper dividing coin, value = 1/20 mark			Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II (1842-1883)
Obv .: Under a floating crown monogram from FF for Friedrich Franz, title inscription: VGG GROSSHERZOG V. MECKLENB. SERIOUS
Rev .: Nominal in two lines 5 PFENNIGE below the year and below mintmaster's mark B, inscription above: TWENTY EINE MARK and below SCHEIDE MÜNZE
Edge partially (weak embossing) straight fluted; Edge rods on both sides with an adjacent fine pearl circle
Coin base at most 336 marks from 100 pounds of copper			Target / actual weight:	7.44 g / 7.44 g	Diameter / Thickness:	25.09mm / 2.00mm
Minting edition / time:	458,614 pieces	only 1872 Dresden / mint master Gustav Julius Buschick (1860 to 1887), die cutter Max Barduleck (1871–1911)
Discontinuation from March 1, 1878 as announced by the Federal Council on February 22, 1878 worth 5 pfennigs imperial currency

2 pfennigs			Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1815 to 1918
Copper dividing coin, value = 1/50 mark			Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II (1842-1883)
Obv .: Under the floating crown monogram from FF for Friedrich Franz, title inscription : VGG GROSSH. V. MECKLENB. SERIOUS
Rev .: Nominal in two lines 2 PFENNIES below the year and below mintmaster's mark B, inscription above: FÜNFZIG EINE MARK and below SCHEIDE MÜNZE
Edge smooth; Edge rods on both sides with an adjacent fine pearl circle
Coin base at most 336 marks from 100 pounds of copper			Target / actual weight:	3.00 g / 3.01 g	Diameter / Thickness:	19.09 mm / 1.38 mm
Minting edition / time:	1,155,100 pieces	only 1872 Dresden / mint master Gustav Julius Buschick (1860 to 1887), die cutter Max Barduleck (1871–1911)
Discontinuation from March 1, 1878 as announced by the Federal Council on February 22, 1878 worth 2 pfennigs imperial currency

1 pfennig			Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1815 to 1918
Copper dividing coin, value = 1/100 mark			Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II (1842-1883)
Obv .: Under the floating crown monogram from FF for Friedrich Franz, title inscription : VGG GROSSH. V. MECKLENB. SERIOUS
Rev .: Nominal in two lines 1 PFENNIG underneath the year and below mintmaster's mark B, inscription above: HUNDERT A MARK and below SCHEIDE COIN
Edge smooth; Edge rods on both sides with an adjacent fine pearl circle
Coin base at most 336 marks from 100 pounds of copper			Target / actual weight:	1.50 g / 1.50 g	Diameter / Thickness:	16.95mm / 0.96mm
Minting edition / time:	2,334,600 pieces	only 1872 Dresden / mint master Gustav Julius Buschick (1860 to 1887), die cutter Max Barduleck (1871–1911)
Discontinuation from March 1, 1878 as announced by the Federal Council on February 22, 1878 worth 1 Pfennig imperial currency
All technical data of depicted coins; Numbers from AKS, Grosser Deutscher Münzkatalog, 29th edition 2014


5 pfennigs			Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 1815 to 1918
Copper dividing coin, value = 1/20 mark			Grand Duke Friedrich Wilhelm (1860–1904)
Obv .: Under the floating crown monogram from FW for Friedrich Wilhelm, title inscription: VGG GROSSHERZOG V. MECKLENB. STRELITZ
Rev .: Nominal in two lines 5 PFENNIGE below the year and below mintmaster's mark B, inscription above: TWENTY EINE MARK and below SCHEIDE MÜNZE
Edge smooth; Edge rods on both sides with an adjacent fine pearl circle
Coin base at most 336 marks from 100 pounds of copper			Target / actual weight:	7.44 g / 7.46 g	Diameter / Thickness:	24.98mm / 2.00mm
Minting edition / time:	118,200 pieces	only 1872 Dresden / mint master Gustav Julius Buschick (1860 to 1887), die cutter Max Barduleck (1871–1911)
Discontinuation from March 1, 1878 as announced by the Federal Council on February 22, 1878 worth 5 pfennigs imperial currency

2 pfennigs			Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 1815 to 1918
Copper dividing coin, value = 1/50 mark			Grand Duke Friedrich Wilhelm (1860–1904)
Obv .: Under a floating crown monogram from FW for Friedrich Wilhelm, title inscription : VGG GROSSH. V. MECKLENB. STRELITZ
Rev .: Nominal in two lines 2 PFENNIES below the year and below mintmaster's mark B, inscription above: FÜNFZIG EINE MARK and below SCHEIDE MÜNZE
Edge smooth; Edge rods on both sides with an adjacent fine pearl circle
Coin base at most 336 marks from 100 pounds of copper			Target / actual weight:	3.00 g / 3.00 g	Diameter / Thickness:	19.05mm / 1.29mm
Minting edition / time:	203,100 pieces	only 1872 Dresden / mint master Gustav Julius Buschick (1860 to 1887), die cutter Max Barduleck (1871–1911)
Discontinuation from March 1, 1878 as announced by the Federal Council on February 22, 1878 worth 2 pfennigs imperial currency

1 pfennig			Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 1815 to 1918
Copper dividing coin, value = 1/100 mark			Grand Duke Friedrich Wilhelm (1860–1904)
Obv .: Under a floating crown monogram from FW for Friedrich Wilhelm, title inscription : VGG GROSSH. V. MECKLENB. STRELITZ
Rev .: Nominal in two lines 1 PFENNIG underneath the year and below mintmaster's mark B, inscription above: HUNDERT A MARK and below SCHEIDE COIN
Edge smooth; Edge rods on both sides with an adjacent fine pearl circle
Coin base at most 336 marks from 100 pounds of copper			Target / actual weight:	1.50 g / 1.50 g	Diameter / Thickness:	16.88 mm / 0.95 mm
Minting edition / time:	625,650 pieces	only 1872 Dresden / mint master Gustav Julius Buschick (1860 to 1887), die cutter Max Barduleck (1871–1911)
Discontinuation from March 1, 1878 as announced by the Federal Council on February 22, 1878 worth 1 Pfennig imperial currency
All technical data of depicted coins; Numbers from AKS, Grosser Deutscher Münzkatalog, 29th edition 2014

Imperial coins with Mecklenburg reverse

5-mark coin for the wedding of Friedrich Franz IV. And Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland in 1904, minted by the Berlin State Mint (A)

From 1876 to 1915 there were six (Mecklenburg-Schwerin) or three (Mecklenburg-Strelitz) coins of the Reich currency minted by the State Mint Berlin (A), the reverse of which was marked with a Mecklenburg image were provided. In addition to currency coins, the accession of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV. After reaching the age of majority, the wedding of Friedrich Franz IV. And Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland in 1904 and the centenary of the Grand Duchy in 1915 were the occasion and motif of the coins.

literature

AKS - Large German coin catalog from 1800 to today . 16th edition. Battenberg Verlag, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-89441-469-3
Karl Friedrich Evers: Mecklenburg Mint Constitution - especially the history of the same. 2 parts. Schwerin 1798/99 [Reprint: Böhlau Verlag, Cologne 1983]
Walter Hannemann: The coins of the city of Gnoien. Contributions to the coinage and history of Mecklenburg. Series of publications by Münzfreunde Minden. Minden 1976
Walter Hannemann: The coins of the state of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Contributions to the coinage and history of Mecklenburg. Verlag Wolfgang Winkel, Bielefeld 1979
Walter Hannemann: The mint master of the city of Rostock. Your tokens and your coins. Northeast German Cultural Work, Lüneburg 1974
Hermann Junghans: The last pennies in Mecklenburg. In: Geldgeschichtliche Nachrichten , March 2010 and "Stier und Greif" - sheets on cultural and regional history in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, pp. 79–83
Michael Kunzel: Mecklenburgische Münzkunde 1492-1872. Coin history and mint catalog. Transpress Publishing House for Transport, Berlin (East) 1985
Michael Kunzel: Mecklenburg's coinage from 1492 to 1872. Berlin 1994
Michael Kunzel: The pennies of grace and event medals of the ruling dukes and grand dukes of Mecklenburg: 1537 to 1918. Schmidt-Römhild, Rostock 1995
Michael Kunzel: From a thousand years of Mecklenburg coin history. Series of publications by the Regional Museum Neubrandenburg, No. 27 (1995)
Michael Kunzel: The coins of the Hanseatic city of Wismar 1359 to 1854. Coin history and mint catalog. City History Museum, Wismar 1998
Michael Kunzel: The coins of the Hanseatic city of Rostock approx. 1492 to 1864. Coin history and mint catalog. Coin Cabinet of the State Museums, Berlin 2004
Steffen Stuth: Witten - Taler - Gulden. 700 years of Rostock coin history. Catalog for the exhibition of the Rostock Cultural History Museum [2011]

Web links

Commons : Coins of Mecklenburg - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Commons : predesign and embossing of the large and small Müntzsorten ... (1573) - collection of images, videos and audio files

Literature on Mecklenburg coin history in the state bibliography MV

Individual evidence

↑ From 1000 years of Mecklenburg coin history, p. 9
↑ From 1000 years of Mecklenburg coin history, p. 13
↑ From 1000 years of Mecklenburg coin history, p. 13
↑ From 1000 years of Mecklenburg coin history, pp. 14-17
↑ From 1000 years of Mecklenburg coin history, p. 20
↑ From 1000 years of Mecklenburg coin history, p. 26 ff
^ Helmut Caspar, Murderous Desire for Fame, in: Mecklenburg Magazin, September 8, 2006
↑ From 1000 years of Mecklenburg coin history, p. 35
↑ Gunther Hahn and Alfred Kernd'l, Frederick the Great in coin portrait of his time, Ullstein Verlag, Frankfurt, Berlin, 1986, page 56
^ Gerhard Schön, German coin catalog 18th century, to: Mecklenburg-Schwerin No. 26 and 27
↑ From 1000 years of Mecklenburg coin history, p. 35
^ Ordinance concerning the admission of coins minted according to the new club mint foot in Mecklenburg-Schwerin; Government Gazette for the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin No. 4, Schwerin, February 5, 1858, pp. 17-18
^ AKS, Large German Coin Catalog from 1800 to Today, pp. 218 and 229
^ AKS, Large German Coin Catalog from 1800 to Today, pp. 233–235
↑ Ordinance regarding the bill by marks and pennies and the issue of the new token coin; Großherzoglich Mecklenburg-Strelitzscher Official Gazette for Legislation and State Administration, No. 2. Neustrelitz, January 11, 1872, pp. 5-8
^ Announcement regarding the issue of pfennig copper coins according to the Reichsmark system; Großherzoglich Mecklenburg-Strelitzscher Official Gazette for Legislation and State Administration, No. 9. Neustrelitz, March 12, 1873, pp. 43–44
↑ Announcement regarding the issue of copper penny pieces minted according to the market system; Government Gazette for the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin No. 8, Schwerin, March 31, 1873, p. 66
^ Ordinance on the introduction of the Reichsmark bill. October 29, 1873; Government Gazette for the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin No. 31, Schwerin, November 1, 1873, pp. 119–122
^ Hermann Junghans: The last pennies of Mecklenburg. Pp. 80-83
^ Announcement regarding the suspension of various state silver and copper coins. 22 February 1878; Deutsches Reichsgesetzblatt Volume 1878, No. 2, pp. 3-4.

[1] From 1000 years of Mecklenburg coin history, p. 9

[2] From 1000 years of Mecklenburg coin history, p. 13

[3] From 1000 years of Mecklenburg coin history, p. 13

[4] From 1000 years of Mecklenburg coin history, pp. 14-17

[5] From 1000 years of Mecklenburg coin history, p. 20

[6] From 1000 years of Mecklenburg coin history, p. 26 ff

[7] Helmut Caspar, Murderous Desire for Fame, in: Mecklenburg Magazin, September 8, 2006

[8] From 1000 years of Mecklenburg coin history, p. 35

[9] Gunther Hahn and Alfred Kernd'l, Frederick the Great in coin portrait of his time, Ullstein Verlag, Frankfurt, Berlin, 1986, page 56

[10] Gerhard Schön, German coin catalog 18th century, to: Mecklenburg-Schwerin No. 26 and 27

[11] From 1000 years of Mecklenburg coin history, p. 35

[12] Ordinance concerning the admission of coins minted according to the new club mint foot in Mecklenburg-Schwerin; Government Gazette for the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin No. 4, Schwerin, February 5, 1858, pp. 17-18

[13] AKS, Large German Coin Catalog from 1800 to Today, pp. 218 and 229

[14] AKS, Large German Coin Catalog from 1800 to Today, pp. 233–235

[15] Ordinance regarding the bill by marks and pennies and the issue of the new token coin; Großherzoglich Mecklenburg-Strelitzscher Official Gazette for Legislation and State Administration, No. 2. Neustrelitz, January 11, 1872, pp. 5-8

[16] Announcement regarding the issue of pfennig copper coins according to the Reichsmark system; Großherzoglich Mecklenburg-Strelitzscher Official Gazette for Legislation and State Administration, No. 9. Neustrelitz, March 12, 1873, pp. 43–44

[17] Announcement regarding the issue of copper penny pieces minted according to the market system; Government Gazette for the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin No. 8, Schwerin, March 31, 1873, p. 66

[18] Ordinance on the introduction of the Reichsmark bill. October 29, 1873; Government Gazette for the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin No. 31, Schwerin, November 1, 1873, pp. 119–122

[19] Hermann Junghans: The last pennies of Mecklenburg. Pp. 80-83

[20] Announcement regarding the suspension of various state silver and copper coins. 22 February 1878; Deutsches Reichsgesetzblatt Volume 1878, No. 2, pp. 3-4.