Pointed egg

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Back with the typical pointed three-pass on all pennies

Spitzgroschen is the popular name for a Saxon silver groschen, which under Elector Ernst (1464 / 85–1486), his brother Duke Albrecht the Courageous (1464 / 85–1500) and their uncle Duke Wilhelm III. the brave (1445–1482) was struck from 1475 to 1482 on the basis of the coin order of December 28, 1474 in order to dispel the population's distrust of the equivalent horn groschen made of alloyed silver . In the Electorate of Saxony under Elector Moritz (1541–1547–1553) and under Elector August (1553–1586), re-coins were made from 1547 to 1553.

Origin of the different names

Silver groschen is the official historical name for this coin because, in contrast to the previously circulating inferior groschen, it was minted with a silver alloy of 5 to 8 lots, from almost pure silver at 15¼ lot = 953.125 ‰. The original name in historical documents is:

  • in a Freiberg certificate from 1478: "silver in groschen of the best silver in muntze"
  • in the Coin Ordinance 1482: "our main coin the silver groschen"
  • at a coin test in Würzburg in 1496: "Schneberger silberlein gröschlein"

Other names were used to denote this silver groschen:

  • Because the embossing showed a three-pass adorned with lace, this groschen was popularly called the pointed groschen . This name is used to this day to distinguish it from other groschen coins of the groschen currency.
  • The name Schneeberger results from the fact that the silver for the minting of these groschen came mainly from the Schneeberger silver mines.
  • In the above-mentioned Freiberg document from 1478, the pointed groschen is also referred to as silberschogk for short . In coinage, the old shock was the epitome of 20 and 20 pointed groschen reached the value of a Rhenish gold guilder. The name Silberschock was intended to illustrate the high value of this coin.
  • The name Fünfzerlein (fifteen pennies ) and in 1558 as Achtzerlein (eighteen pennies) arose when the pointed groschen was worth 15 and later 18 pfennigs.

Monetary history

The brothers Elector Ernst and Duke Albrecht ruled the Kurland Saxony and the Margraviate of Meißen together from 1464, and from 1482 also the Landgraviate of Thuringia. Duke Wilhelm III. Landgrave of Thuringia participated in a common currency policy as early as 1465.

The Rhenish and Hungarian gold guilders played an important role in their countries during their reign . The Saxon minters wanted to mint gold guilders themselves as early as 1478. From August to November 1478 they had hired the gold coin master Wolfgang Kortz from Cologne. However, due to the volatility of the guilder, there were no mintings. It was not until 1488 that Duke Albrecht minted gold gulden in the Leipzig mint on a larger scale. On the other hand, the minters tried again and again to get the silver groschen as the main currency for monetary transactions. Through the continuous attempt to establish a fixed value relationship between gold guilders and silver groschen, gold and silver coins functioned almost like a double currency. Only the penny was supposed to be a good penny, 20 of which had the value of a Rhenish gold guilder. This goal was only achieved temporarily, but not permanently secured. The denomination of the Groschen currency changed a total of seven times between 1464 and 1500 and was therefore unsuitable as the main currency.

With the first common coin reform of April 4, 1465 in Leipzig, the existing division into good groschen ( Oberwähr ) and inferior groschen ( Beiwähr ) was abolished. With the horn egg = 9 pfennigs = 18 hellers, a new currency was created. The old sword groschen counted as half horn groschen = 9 heller. 20 horn groschen were for one Rhenish gold gulden.

The horn egg was minted from silver at 8 Lot = 500 ‰ and thus met with the distrust of the population towards alloyed silver coins. Even the miners were no longer willing to accept these silver coins for payment and asked for gold coins or exported the silver. The silver was running out. In addition, the price of gold rose. As of June 14, 1470, all coinage was stopped. Inferior coins streamed back to Saxony and Thuringia. Horngroschen were melted down.

With the coin order of December 28, 1474, the introduction of a new coin, the silver groschen from 15¼ lot = 953.125 ‰ silver, the renunciation of a high treasure trove (initially only 1 groschen per 561 struck silver groschen) and taking into account a high gold price, was successful Currency reform takes place. Support came from the fact that the silver yield in Schneeberg rose significantly and the gold price began to fall continuously. 20 silver groschen were again for a Rhenish gold gulden.

Further coin orders led to changes in the form of the pointed groschen:

year Piece from the marrow Gross weight Lot Fineness Fine weight Coin Order
1475 140.25 1.678 g 15¼ 953.125 ‰ 1,600 g December 28, 1474
1475 140.00 1.681 g 15th 937.500 ‰ 1.576 g September 24, 1475
1475 145.00 1.623 g 15th 937.500 ‰ 1.522 g December 9, 1475
1478 150.00 1.569 g 15th 937.500 ‰ 1.471 g because of the lower gold content of the guilder
1480 154.50 1.524 g 15th 937.500 ‰ 1.428 g because of the lower gold content of the guilder
  1. ↑ The numbers refer to the Erfurt mark of 235.4011 g.

The coinage order of January 13, 1482 increased the value of the pointed groschen to 12 pfennigs = 24 hellers. From 1491 21 silver groschen were valid for one Rhenish gold gulden. After the very high number of pieces of around 8.7 million pieces, another form of the pointed groschen was no longer planned. However, they remained the main currency coin until the beginning of the interest-rate coinage in 1496 and were very popular because of their high fine silver content.

In addition to the pointed groschen, half pointed groschen, one-sided pfennigs (embossed half-upright lion and Landsberger shield) and heller (Mohrenkopf) were minted from silver. In addition, the old sword egg was tolerated as a means of payment with 2¼ pieces for 1 pointed egg.

Joint coinage of the pointed egg 1475–1482

The joint coinage of Elector Ernst, Duke Albrecht and Duke Wilhelm III. began in 1475 in the reopened Zwickau mint under the mint master Conrad Funcke from the increasing silver production of the Schneeberger mines. The issue began on January 25, 1476. Due to the high demand, the elector opened additional mints in 1475.

The coinage of the pointed groschen was basically the same in all mints. There were only deviations in the transcriptions.

  • Obverse: within an ornamental circle, a slightly curved shield on one side with the family coat of arms of the Duchy of Saxony (diamond wreath shield) and above the mint mark followed by the mint owner and title as inscription
  • Reverse: within an ornamental circle with a pointed three-pass with the semicircular coat of arms of the ancestral home of the Wettins, the margraviate of Landsberg (Landsberg stake shield) and above the mint mark, followed by the denomination and the year as inscription
  • Coin with knurling, smooth edge, diameter about 21 mm

The Zwickau Mint produced around 3.5 million pointed groschen from 22,914 marks of silver. About 2.43 million of these were made by the mint master Heinz Passeck from April 1477 to autumn 1478. In the Leipzig mint , almost 4 million pointed groschen were minted from 25,767 marks of silver by April 19, 1477. With the departure of the mint master Conrad Funke, the mint was closed again. The Freiberg Mint produced around 0.9 million pointed groschen from 6,037 marks of silver.

Mint Year according to the stamp Mint master Mintmaster's mark
Freiberg 1475, 1477 and 1478 Hans Arnold long-legged cross
Leipzig 1475 Conrad Funke until April 19, 1477 six-pointed star
Zwickau 1475, 1477 Conrad Funke until April 19, 1477 Half moon between two ringlets
Zwickau 1477 Heinz Passeck from April 19, 1477 Mzz. used by Funke: half moon between two ringlets
Zwickau 1478 Augustin Horn from autumn 1478 Shamrock

The last minting of 630 marks silver for around 103,000 silver groschen dates from the first quarter of 1482 in the Zwickau mint. There are old stamps from 1478 with the mint mark shamrock.

Spitzgroschen-Zwickau-1477-av.jpg
Spitzgroschen-Zwickau-1477-rv.jpg


Pointed Groschen 1477 Zwickau Mint Mintmaster Conrad Funcke or Heinz Passeck
Spitzgroschen-Zwickau-1478-av.jpg
Spitzgroschen-Zwickau-1478-rv.jpg


Pointed groschen 1478 Zwickau Mint Mint master Augustin Horn

Description of the pointed egg shown:

  • Pointed Groschen 1477 Zwickau Mint Mint Master Conrad Funcke or Heinz Passeck:
    • Obverse: Mintmark half moon between two rings, followed by minters and title as inscription E◦W◦A◦D◦G◦DVCS◦SX◦TÜ◦L◦HA◦HIS
    • Reverse: Mintmark half moon between two rings, followed by the denomination of the coin as the inscription GROSSVS◦NOVVS◦HARCH◦HSɅɅ
    • Target weight: 1.623 g Actual weight: 1.70 g Diameter: 20.33-20.85 mm Thickness: 0.71 mm
  • Pointed groschen 1478 Zwickau Mint Mintmaster Augustin Horn:
    • Obverse: mint mark shamrock followed by minters and title as inscription E◦W◦A◦D◦G◦DVCS◦SX◦TÜ◦L◦HA◦HS
    • Reverse: Mintmark half moon between two rings, followed by the denomination of the coin as inscription GROSSVS◦NOVVS◦HARCH◦HSɅ8
    • Target weight: 1.569-1.623 g Actual weight: 1.67 g Diameter: 21.58-22.20 mm Thickness: 0.73 mm

Explanations for the inscription:

  • E◦W◦A = Ernestus, Wilhelmus, Albertus
  • D◦G◦DVCS◦SX = Dei gratia Duces Saxoniae = By God's grace, dukes of Saxony
  • TÜ◦L = Thuringiae landgravii = Landgrave of Thuringia
  • HA◦HIS or HA◦HS = Marchiones Misnenses = Margrave of Meissen
  • GROSSVS◦NOVVS◦HARCH◦HS = Grossus novus Marchionum Misnensium = New Groschen of the Margraves of Meissen (legend H was used for the letter M)
  • ɅɅ = 77 or Ʌ8 = 78 (legend symbol Ʌ stands for the number 7 and 7 stands for the number 5)

Half a large egg is struck

With the common coin order of September 24, 1475, the issue of small coin denominations was again ordered. This also included half a penny:

year Piece from the marrow Gross weight Lot Fineness Fine weight Coin Order
1475 101.00 2.331 g 5 Lot 4.5 Grän 328.125 ‰ 0.765 g September 24, 1475
1475 105.00 2.242 g 5 Lot 4.5 Grän 328.125 ‰ 0.736 g December 9, 1475

Differences to the whole pointed egg:

  • the Spitzdreipass was on the front and included the family coat of arms of the Duchy of Saxony (Rautenkranzschild)
  • the reverse contained a large, semicircular escutcheon with the erect lion
  • a weight about 0.6 g more
  • Diameter about 25 mm, about 4 mm larger.

The joint minting of the half pointed groschen took place in 1475 in the mints of Freiberg, Leipzig, Colditz and Gotha and in 1478 in Zwickau.

Because the coin order of January 13, 1482 increased the value of the pointed groschen to 12 pfennigs, in accordance with the ordinance of July 13, 1482 to avoid coin confusion, half the pointed groschen and also the pfennigs and pennies were withdrawn in order to issue new change with a new coinage can. Instead of half the pointed groschen, there were half sword groschen with only 312.5 ‰ silver content (embossed with Kurschild in the three-pass) at half the value of the pointed groschen. This change was intended to protect the high reputation of the Spitzgroschen / Silver Groschen as a coin with a high fineness.

Coined with and alone by Electress Margaretha

Margaretha of Austria , the wife of Elector Friedrich II. , Received on September 21, 1463 from her brother Emperor Friedrich III. the right to coin. As early as 1456, the elector had given her permission to set up her own mint in Colditz. However, it had to be minted using the same shot and grain as in Freiberg and Leipzig.

The Colditz mint minted around 0.3 million pointed groschen from 1,908 marks of silver. The following coins existed jointly by Elector Ernst, Duke Albrecht, Duke Wilhelm III. and Electress Margaretha:

Mint Year according to the stamp Mint master Mintmaster's mark Nominal
Colditz 1475 Peter Schwabe Double cross only on the front whole and half pointed groschen
Colditz 1477 Augustin Horn and Heinz Martersteck Shamrock and half rose whole pointed egg

In addition, the sole coinage of Electress Margaretha took place:

Mint Year according to the stamp Mint master Mintmaster's mark Nominal
Colditz 1475 Peter Schwabe double cross on both sides whole and half pointed groschen

Reprint of the pointed groschen 1547–1553

Even in the 16th century, the pointed groschen was still a means of payment. There were reprints of about 2.67 million pieces from 1547 to 1553 under Elector Moritz in the Annaberg and Freiberg mints and Elector August (Saxony) in the Freiberg mint from 1553 to 1555. They were made with the fineness of the guldengroschen of 14 Lot 8 Grän = 902.78 ‰ silver struck. The rough weight was 1.72 g and thus the fine weight was 1.553 g. They had a value of 15 pfennigs and from the coin order of 1558 onwards of 18 pfennigs or 1/16 guldengroschen.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Helmut Kahnt: Das große Münzlexikon from A to Z , Regenstauf 2005, p. 455
  2. ↑ Gerhard Krug: The Meissnisch-Saxon penny 1338-1500. Berlin 1974, p.94, notes 462 and 97, notes 477 and 478.
  3. ^ A b Carl Christoph Schmieder: Concise dictionary of all coin studies for coin lovers and business people. Halle 1815, p. 435.
  4. ^ Friedrich von Schrötter: Dictionary of coinage. 2nd edition 1970, p. 606.
  5. ^ Walther Haupt: Sächsische Münzkunde. 1st edition 1974, p. 85.
  6. ↑ fifteen, fifteen. In: Jacob Grimm , Wilhelm Grimm (Hrsg.): German dictionary . tape 4 : Forschel – retainer - (IV, 1st section, part 1). S. Hirzel, Leipzig 1878, Sp. 582 ( woerterbuchnetz.de ).
  7. ↑ Gerhard Krug: The Meissnisch-Saxon penny 1338-1500. Berlin 1974, p. 91 ff.
  8. ^ Johann Christoph Stößel: Attempt at a Chur-Saxon coin history. Chemnitz 1780, p. 167.
  9. ↑ Gerhard Krug: The Meissnisch-Saxon penny from 1338 to 1500. Berlin 1974, p. 96.
  10. ^ Johann Christoph Stößel: Attempt at a Chur-Saxon coin history. Chemnitz 1780, p. 166.
  11. ↑ Gerhard Krug: The Meissnisch-Saxon penny 1338-1500. Berlin 1974, p. 177 ff.
  12. ↑ Gerhard Krug: The Meissnisch-Saxon penny from 1338 to 1500. Berlin 1974, p. 95.
  13. ↑ a b Walther Haupt: Sächsische Münzkunde. 1st edition 1974, p. 86.
  14. ↑ a b Gerhard Krug: The Meissnisch-Saxon Groschen 1338–1500. Berlin 1974, p. 97.
  15. ^ Walther Haupt: Sächsische Münzkunde. 1st edition 1974, p. 261.
  16. ↑ Gerhard Krug: The Meissnisch-Saxon penny 1338-1500. Berlin 1974, p. 179.
  17. ↑ Gerhard Krug: The Meissnisch-Saxon penny from 1338 to 1500. Berlin 1974, pp. 83 and 85.
  18. ↑ Claus Keilitz, Helmut Kahnt: The Saxon-Albertine coins from 1547 to 1611. 2nd edition 2014, p.38ff. and 102 ff.
  19. ^ Walther Haupt: Sächsische Münzkunde. 1st edition 1974, pp.120, 122, 124.