MARIENGROSCHEN: COIN OF GOSLAR
Mariengroschen, 1553: City of Goslar (Germany)
Goslar — historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. The first mention of the city dates back to 922, when Henry I founded a settlement near the Rammelsberg mountain. After the start of coal and copper mining, the rapid development of the settlement begins. From 1081 to 1802, Goslar had the status of Free imperial city.
MONETA NOVA GOSLARIE - 1553: Goslar's new currency (coin) - 1553.
Eagle as the coat of arms of the German city of Goslar (as of the beginning of the 21st century, an eagle is also used as a coat of arms, but with a noticeably different, more strict style).
MARIA MATER DOMIN: Mary the mother of God.
Saint Mary with the child (Jesus Christ) surrounded by fiery flames — traditional subject of mariengroschen coins of various issuers and periods.
- Silver: 25 mm - 1.37 g
- Reference price: 9$
COIN MARIENGROSCHEN — WHERE & WHEN (coins catalog: by names & emitents)
- GERMAN STATES, 15th-19th centuries (Free imperial city of Aachen, Principality of Anhalt-Bernburg, County of Bentheim-Tecklenburg-Rheda, Principality of Brunswick-Blankenburg, Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Abbey of Corvey, County of Eastern Friesland, City of Einbeck, City of Goslar, City of Göttingen, City of Hamelin, City of Hannover, Bishopric of Hildesheim, County of Lippe-Detmold...): mariengroschen = 8 pfennig
MARIENGROSCHEN as coin name.
Mariengroschen – quite small in weight, about 2 g, a silver German coin of the 15th-19th centuries. A characteristic feature: the image of the Virgin Mary (in some numismatic sources: Madonna) with a baby in her arms. Also, the coin (at least of the early issues) is characterized by a very small thickness. Therefore, bent mariengroschen are not uncommon in modern collections.
Usually, a billon was used for production: the silver content did not exceed 50%. As a rule, the mariengroschen was 1/36 of a thaler; in turn consisted of 8 pfennigs. Instead, the ordinary groschen, which was in circulation in parallel with the mariengroschen, was equal to 1/24 thaler.
The geography of the distribution of the coin was significant (not a rare find in our country — on the lands of Ukraine), although a limited list of states in the north and center of Germany was involved in the issue. In addition to coins of the denomination "1 mariengroschen", larger denominations were also minted: 2, 4, 6, 12, 24 mariengroschens.
According to Wikipedia, the mariengroschen first appeared in the German town of Goslär in 1503 (although in web it is easy to find the mariengroschen of Aachen from 1491). Very quickly, similar coins began to be minted in other areas of the Harz mountain massif, rich in silver deposits.
The name mariengroschen is obviously related to the unchanged subject of the coin of the first centuries of issue — the image of the Virgin Mary (Saint Mary). At the end of the issue, in the 19th century, the motif was changed, but the denomination was always the same as usual.
