ALBUS: COIN OF HESSE-KASSEL (GERMANY)
1 albus, 1770: Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (German "Landgrafschaft Hessen-Kassel") — German state in the Holy Roman Empire that was directly subject to the Emperor (1567-1803).
Ruler: Frederick II (German "Landgraf Friedrich II von Hessen-Kassel") — Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel during 1760-1785. Interesting, that he well known in world history by renting soldiers (called "Hessians") to Great Britain to help fight the American Revolutionary War.
I HESSEN ALBUS - 1770.
F.U.: initials of mintmaster Friedrich Ulrich.
Crowned monogram of Frederick II (Friedrich Landgraf).
- Silver: 20 mm - 1.43 g
- Reference price: 17$
COIN ALBUS — WHERE & WHEN (coins catalog: by names & emitents)
- GERMAN STATES, 14th-19th centuries (County of Arenberg, Margraviate of Baden-Baden, Duchy of Berg, Archbishop of Cologne, City of Dortmund, Free City of Frankfurt, County of Hanau-Lichtenberg, County of Hanau-Münzenberg, Landgraviate of Hessen-Darmstadt, Landgraviate of Hessen-Kassel, Duchy of Jülich-Berg, County of Kleve, Archbishopric of Mainz...): albus = 12 heller
ALBUS as coin name known for a long time. It was a high-quality silver coin of the German states during the 14th-19th centuries.
Before the distribution of thalers in the 16th century, albus played the role of the main silver coin in the monetary circulation of the German lands. Later, they became an ordinary small exchange coin. Although the purity of silver remained at a high level.
The name of the albus coin comes from the Latin expression "denarius albus" — "white denarius"... We are talking about the white color of the coin made of high purity silver. In general, the Germans called this coin a white pfennig (German "Weiβpfennig").
