Four

Vierchen or Vierken were small silver coins that were minted in the 15th and beginning of the 16th centuries, especially in Pomerania , but also in Brandenburg and the Teutonic Order .

The value of the coins was four vinkeye eyes . Later he was bet on 3 Sundian pfennigs. The fineness was 4½ solder with a weight of approximately 0.46 grams.

1408 allowed Duke Swantibor III. the city of Stettin to mint pennies to four Vinkenugen. Four with legend were struck in Gartz and Pyritz . Such coins come from Stargard and Gollnow without legend. Vierchen are also documented for Anklam , Stralsund and Greifswald .

In Brandenburg, Vierchen were minted in Koenigsberg in the Neumark in 1447 and in Prenzlau in 1468 . The fineness of these coins was worse.

The four of the Teutonic Order differed significantly from the Pomeranian coins. The coins minted by order of Grand Masters Winrich von Kniprode (1352–1382) and Konrad Zöllner von Rotenstein (1382–1390) had a value of four pfennigs, which corresponded to a third of a shilling or a quarter of a half-sheet . The fine weight was 0.49 grams with a rough weight of 0.78 grams. On the front a high master's sign with the inscription "Magister Generalis" was depicted. On the back there was a free-standing order cross . The inscription read "Dominorum Prussie".

literature

• Heinz Fengler, Gerhard Gierow, Willy Unger: Transpress Lexicon Numismatics . 4th edited edition. transpress VEB Verlag for Transport, Berlin 1988, ISBN 3-344-00220-1 , p. 506-507 .