Groschen

A Fürstengroschen of Landgrave Balthasar of Thurigia from the Freiburg Mint, 1405–1406

Names like groschen, grossus/grossi, grosso, grossone, grosz, gros, groš, groat, Groten, garas etc. were used in the Middle Ages for all thick silver coins, as opposed to thin silver coins such as deniers or pennies. Historically it was equal to between several and a dozen denarii.

In the German-speaking world, the groschen was usually worth 12 pfennigs; many regional (small) groschen e.g. Neugroschen, Groten (plural: Grote) in northern Germany, English: groat, Mariengroschen, Grösch(e)l were worth between 2½ and 10 pfennigs. The later Kreuzer, a coin worth 4 pfennigs arose from the linguistic abbreviation of the small Kreuzgroschen.

The groschen was first introduced into the Holy Roman Empire in 1271 by Duke Meinhard II of Tyrol in Merano. It was originally a solid coin of pure silver, larger than the denarius which was no longer valid. In essence, it took the place of a variety of the older pfennigs, whose silver purity had inflated their value over the centuries. According to one source, the city of Trier is said to have struck groschen-like, thick pfennigs as early as 1104, which were then followed in 1300 by the Bohemian groschen from Kuttenberg. The new coin soon inspired other 'mint lords' (Münzherren) and was given, not least for reasons of economic necessity, a higher face value in the Early Renaissance period. Upper Italian coins of multiple pfennig value in the High Middle Ages were similarly called Grossini (cf. also Schilling).

The 1286 Tyrolean example (above right) weighs 1.45 grams (22.4 grains), it is marked with ME IN AR DVS and a Double Cross (obverse), and with DUX TIROL and the Eagle of Tyrol (reverse).

In 1328 Emperor Louis IV, the Bavarian, authorised Count Adolf VI of Berg to mint torneses in Wipperfürth. The oldest groschen in the area that is now modern Germany were minted there until 1346.

Following the example of the Tours Grossus, the Prague groschen or groš was minted in Kuttenberg and, around 1338/1339, the Meissen groschen in Freiburg's National Mint in the Margraviate of Meissen. Both coins gained national importance and had a strong influence on German coinage. Groschen valued at 12 pfennigs were common. The Polish groschen or grosz was worth only half as much – 6 pfennigs – and was commonly used in Silesia as a grosch(e)l or gresch(e)l worth just 2+1⁄2 to 3 pfennigs.

The 'prince's groschen' (Fürstengroschen) set a record in terms of the devaluation of the Meissen groschen. When this groschen was introduced in March 1393, its value was 23 2⁄5 of a Rhenish guilder. In 1406, the devaluation of these coins reached its peak: 53 groschen were now equal to 1 Rhenish guilder.[3]

The groschen was minted during the Middle Ages in the following areas:

• Tirol (from 1271)
• England (from 1279, the groat)[4]
• Bohemia (from 1300, the Prague groschen, later adopted by most of the Central European countries)
• Poland (from 1367, the Cracow grosz, 3.2 grams (49 grains) of silver, an equivalent of 12 denarii)
• Moldavia (from the reign of Petru I, 1375–1391)
• The type was also minted during various times in the Duchy of Luxembourg, such as the 22 millimetre 1⁄2 gros produced from 1418 to 1425 under John III the Pitiless, Duke of Bavaria, bearing slightly varying inscriptions of "IOAH DVX BAVAR Z FILIVS" on the obverse, and "MONE NOVA LUCE BURS" on the reverse.[5]

Abbreviations for groschen or groten in 19th century literature

Last convention groschen for the Duchy of Gotha, 1837, Gotha Mint

An 1863 Neugroschen, worth 10 pfennigs, 30 made a thaler (diameter = 18 mm, Dresden Mint)

Later the tradition of Groschen was dropped in most states while others continued to mint only coins smaller than the original coin. In Poland for example, from 1526 these included coins of 1⁄2 grosz, 1 grosz, 1+1⁄2 grosz, 2 grosz, 3 grosz, 4 grosz and 6 grosz. Their weight steadily dropped to 1.8 grams (28 grains) of silver and since 1752 they were replaced by copper coins of the same name.

Emergency issue currency for the Siege of Kolberg (1807), 4 groschen

In Germany, the name Groschen (both singular and plural) replaced Schilling as the common name for a 12 pfennig coin. In the 18th century it was used predominantly in the northern states as a coin worth 1⁄24 of a Reichsthaler (equal to 1⁄32 of a Conventionsthaler). In the 19th century, a new currency system was introduced in which the Groschen, often under a new name to distinguish it from the old, was worth 1⁄30 of a Thaler or Taler. This began in 1821 in Prussia, where the coin was called the Silbergroschen (Sgr) and was worth 12 pfennigs. Saxony followed in 1840 with the Neugroschen (ngr), also 1⁄30 of a thaler, but subdivided in 10 (new) pfennigs.[6][7] Silesia and Bohemia introduced the white groschen (Weissgroschen) in 1821 at the same time as Prussia. Frederick William III of Prussia could not yet decide on the consistent introduction of the decimal system. In order to be able to distinguish his new pfennig' from the old ones, they were called Pfenninge.

The last German Kurantgroschen (regarding the simple face value) were issued in the Kingdom of Saxony in 1827 and 1828, and in the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1837 based on a monetary standard, the Konventionsfuß, of the state, according to which the silver contained in 320 groschen was equal to the weight of a Cologne Mark (233.856 grammes).

An exception in relation to the value of thaler coins is the series of 'butterfly coins' (Schmetterlingsmünzen) in the Electorate of Saxony. All these coins only show their value in groschen; the usual abbreviation for groschen used in the everyday correspondence being used for the denomination on the coins. Likewise, the abbreviation for groschen used in the written word was stamped on the Electoral Saxon golden Reichsgulden zu 21 Groschen of 1584. In this case, it was probably intended to express the fact that it is a coin of account (Rechnungsmünze). Another special case is the Kipperthaler, on which the value in groschen (or Kreuzer) is also stamped to circumvent the Imperial Minting Ordinance (Reichsmünzordnung). Also interesting are thalers, which were minted in denominations of 28 and 24 groschen without differences in design and size. For example, the 24 groschen Hosenbandtaler were also coins of account, which is sometimes not recognized.

Following German unification and decimalisation, with 100 pfennigs to the mark, the groschen was replaced by the 10 pfennig coin and groschen remained a nickname for the 10 pfennig coin until the introduction of the euro. For the same reason, the name Sechser (sixer) remained in use regionally for the half-groschen coin, 5 Pfennigs.

There is a Beethoven rondo for piano, opus 129 (1795) entitled "Die Wut über den verlorenen Groschen" (literally "The Rage Over the Lost Groschen", but known as "Rage Over a Lost Penny").