My plan for this page is to hopefully demystify, to some degree, the amazingly complex web of medieval coinage denominations and types.
TABLE OF GROSCHEN TYPES
This table is a modified and compacted
version of one found in some earlier Busso Peus auction catalogues
| MONEY-ISSUING AREAS | ROUGH DATE | DENOMINATION | EQUIVALENTS |
| LOWER RHENISH Aachen, Berg, Cleve, Essen, Gueldres, Heinsburg, Hesse, Jülich, Köln, Luxembourg, Mainz, Metz, Mörs, Nassau, Neuss, Pfalz, Pfalz-Simmern, Randerath, Schoonvorst, Trier, Verden |
1300 | Grosspfennig | 2½ Pfennig 5 Obole |
| 1318 | Sterling | 4 Pfennig | |
| 1328 | Turnosen (Schilling) |
12 Pfennig (16 Kleiner Pf.) |
|
| 1335 | Groschen | 10 Pfennig | |
| 1338 | Groschen · 1348 saw a monetary union between Trier, Jülich, Köln, and Luxembourg |
12 Pfennig |
|
| 1368 | Weisspfennig (2.55g) (Double Schilling) 18½ Weisspf. = 1 Florin |
24 Kleiner Pfennig | |
| 1385 | Weisspfennig |
12 Grosse Pfennig | |
| 1488 | Albus (Double Schilling) 26 Albus = 1 Florin |
12 Pfennig | |
| 1493 | Banken = 2 Albus | ||
| LOW COUNTRIES Artois, Brabant, Flanders, Gueldres, Hennegau, Holland, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, Utrecht, Zeeland |
1270 | Cavalier (2/3 Turnose) | 2 Sterling |
| 1290 | Turnose | 3 Sterling | |
| 1339 | Löwengroschen · 1339 - Monetary Union between Louis of Crecy, the Dukes of Flanders, and Johann III of Brabant |
||
| 1365 | Boddrager (4.2g, Double Groschen) | ||
| Gros (1.7g) | 24 Flanders mites |
||
| c.1430 | Stüber · 1434 - Ordinance of Phillip the Good for his possessions |
2 Gros (Briquet) | |
| HANSEATIC LEAGUE Hamburg, Hannover, Holstein, Lübeck, Lüneburg, Mecklenburg, Pomerania, Rostock, Stralsund, Stettin, Wismar |
1339 | Witten (Sterling - 1.33g) | 4 Pfennig |
| 1365 | Sechsling (Double Sterling) | 6 Pfennig | |
| 1432 | Schilling (2.54g) 26 Schilling = 1 Florin |
2 Sechsling 12 Pfennig |
|
| 1468 | Double Schilling (3.39g) 36 Schilling = 1 Florin |
24 Pfennig | |
| Teutonic Knights (Deutscher Orden) |
1370 | Halbschoter (1 1/3 Schilling) | 16 Pfennig |
| 1380 | Schilling (1.87g) | 12 Pfennig | |
| BOHEMIA and SAXONY Bohemia, Brandenburg, Brunswick, Halberstadt, Hesse, Lausitz, Magdeburg, Mainz, Mansfeld, Meissen, Saxony, Schwartzburg, Stolburg, Thuringia |
c.1300 | Prager Groschen (3.7g) 12 Prager Groschen = 1 Florin |
|
| 1338 | Meissner Groschen | 12 Meissen Heller 8 Thuringian Pfennig |
|
| 1412 | Meissner Groschen | 18 Meissen Heller 9 Thuringian Pfennig |
|
| Various | Judenkopfgroschen Helmgroschen (1.8g) Schildgroschen (1.8g) = 3 Schrockgroschen 20 Groschen = 1 Florin · 1444 - Monetary ordinance in Meissen, Thuringia, and Hesse |
||
| 1465 | Horngroschen (1.47g) = 2 Schwertgroschen | 12 Pfennig | |
| 1474 | Spitsgroschen (1.6g) | ||
| 1490 | Zinsgroschen 21 Zinsgroschen = 1 Florin |
||
| 1498 | Schreckenberger (3.9g) = 3 Zinsgroschen 7 Schreckenberger = 1 Florin |
||
| 1534 | 3½ Zinsgroschen 24 Zinsgroschen = 1 Florin |
||
| FRANKISH Bamberg, Brandenburg-im-Franken, Coburg, Fulda, Henneburg, Nürnburg, Würzburg |
1390 | Halbgroschen |
4 Pfennig (Würzburg) |
| Schilling (1.88g) | 6 Pfennig 12 Heller |
||
| 1457 | Schwerer Schilling (Nürnburg) | 8 Pfennig 10 Pfennig (later) |
|
| Leichter Schilling (Bamberg-Würzburg) · Association renewed through 1520 |
7 Pfennig | ||
| Brandenburg i. d. M. | Groschen (2.54g) | ||
| SWABIAN Aulendorf, Augsburg, Baden, Biberach, Buchhorn, Constanz, Esslingen, Giengen, Gmünd, Hohnberg, Isny, Kaufbeuren, Kempten, Leutkirch, Lindau, Memmingen, Öttingen, Radolfzell, St. Gallen, Überlingen, Ulm, Wangen, Württemberg |
1396 | Schilling (1.69g) 15 Schilling = 1 Florin · 1396 - Kirchheimer monetary union between Leopold of Austria, Augsburg, Württemberg, Esslingen, Gmünd, Ulm, and Öttingen. |
6 Pfennig 12 Heller |
| after 1430 |
26-28 Schilling = 1 Florin · 1423 Reidlinger monetary union · 1479 Monetary union between Baden and Württemberg |
||
| UPPER RHENISH Basel, Bern, Colmar, Breisach, Elsass, Freiburg, Schaffhausen, Zürich |
1425 | Plappart (1.62g) · 1425 - Rappenmünzbund (Rappen money federation) |
6 Rappenpfennig |
| Groschen = 2 Plappart 20 Groschen = 1 Florin |
12 Rappenpfennig | ||
FRANCE, Royal Monetary Issues
This table is based on data from "The
History of Currency", W. Shaw and "Les Monnaies Royales Francaises",
L. Ciani
The system of reckoning the money of account in France
throughout the period was as follows:
1 Livre (Pound) = 20 Sous (Schillings,
Solidus) = 240 Deniers (Pence, Denars)
= 480 Oboles = 960 Pites (Farthings)
1 Sou = 12 Deniers, 1 Denier = 2 Oboles, 1 Obole = 2 Pites
The sou is also called a "sol".
Table of Gold Coinages
| ISSUE DATE | NAME | EQUIV. VALUE (value at initial issue, actual values fluctuated frequently) |
NOTES |
| 1226 | Agnel | 150 deniers | Possibly not first issued until c. 1250 |
| 1295 | Gros Royal | 300 d. | |
| 1305 | Petit Royal | 165 d. | |
| 1308 | Chaise d'Or |
300 d. |
|
| 1310 | Masse d'Or | 360 d. |
|
| 1310 | Agnelet | 240 d. | |
| 1321 | Agnel | 240 d. | |
| 1325 | Royal Double | 300 d. | |
| 1329 | Parisis d'Or Royal Double |
450 d. 270 d. |
|
| 1330 | Agnel | 175 d. | |
| 1331 | Royal | 270 d. | |
| 1336 | Ecu d'Or | 240 d. | |
| 1338 | Lion d'Or | 300 d. | |
| 1339 | Pavillion Couronne d'Or |
360 d. 480 d. |
|
| 1340 | Anges Demi-Anges |
900 d. 450 d. |
|
| 1351 | Fleur-de-Lis | 480 d. | |
| 1354 | Mouton d'Or | 300 d. | |
| 1357 | Petit Mouton d'Or | 150 d. | |
| 1360 | Franc | 240 d. | |
| 1384 | Ecu a la Couronne | 264 d. | |
| 1417 | Ecu Heaume | 480 d. | |
| 1421 | Saluts d'Or | 300 d. | |
| 1475 | Ecu au Soleil | 396 d. | |
| 1507 | Ecu au porc-epic | 435 d. | |
| 1539 | Ecu a la Salemand | 540 d. | |
| 1540 | Ecu a la croisette | 540 d. | |
| 1549 | Henri d'Or | 600 d. | |
| 1640 | Louis d'Or | 2400 d. |
___________________________________________________________
Table of Silver Coinages
Table of Silver Coinages
| The "Tournois" and "Parisis" in the table is based on the fact that the two weight systems varied by as much as 25% from each other. In general, however, the ratio was 4 livres Parisis = 5 livres Tournois. In 1667 this dual system was abolished and the livre Tournois became the single standard. | |||
| ISSUE DATE | NAME | EQUIV. VALUE (value at initial issue, actual values fluctuated) |
NOTES |
| 1226 | Gros Tournois | 12 d. | |
| 1295 | Petit Tournois | 6 d. | |
| 1310 | Bourgeois Forte | 2 d. (Parisis) | |
| 1311 | Bourgeois Singles | 1 d. (Parisis) | |
| 1313 | Denier Tournois Denier Parisis |
1 d. 1 d. (Parisis) |
|
| 1322 | Obole Blanche | 6 d. (Parisis) | |
| 1326 | Obole Blanche | 8 d. (Tournois) | |
| 1330 | Gros Parisis | 12 d. | |
| 1336 | Gros a la Couronne | 22 d. (Tournois) | |
| 1340 | Gros a la Fleur-de-Lis | 15 d. | |
| 1346 | Double Parisis | 2 d. (Parisis) | |
| 1347 | Double Tournois | 2 d. (Tournois) | |
| 1351 | Blancs Gros Tournois Blancs |
6 d. (Parisis) 8 d. (Tournois) |
|
| 1354 | Blanc a la Couronne | 5 d. (Tournois) | |
| 1355 | Blanc a la Fleur-de-Lis | 8 d. | |
| 1359 | Gros Blancs Blancs aux trois Fleur-de-Lis Gros a l'estoile |
15 d. 15 d. 30 d. |
|
| 1364 | Gros d'Argent | 15 d. | |
| 1384 | Blanc a l'Ecu | 10 d. | |
| 1425 | Grand Blanc | 15 d. | |
| 1434 | Petit Blanc | 5 d. | |
| 1475 | Blanc au Soleil | 12 d. | |
| 1513 | Testoon | 120 d. | |
| 1539 | Blanc a la Salemand | 12 d. | |
| 1541 | Douzains a la Croisette | 12 d. | |
| 1547 | Douzains | 12 d. | |
| 1575 | Francs | 240 d. | |
| 1580 | Quart d'Ecu | 180 d. | |
| 1641 | Louis d'Argent | 720 d. | |
NETHERLANDS and Surrounding Areas
Table of Gold coinages
Table of Gold coinages
| DATE OF ISSUE | NAME | EQUIVALENT VALUE | LOCATION of INITIAL ISSUE |
| 1337 | Ecu d'Or Gouden Schild |
40 Groschen (1400) | France |
| 1344 | Noble Schuitken |
England | |
| 1355 | Mouton d'Or Gouden Lamm Half denomination as well |
20 Turnosegroschen (Gros Tournois) | France |
| 1365 | Royal d'Or |
France |
|
| Lion d'Or Gouden Leeuw Half denomination as well |
60 Groschen |
Flanders | |
| 1367 | Double Mouton d'Or Dubbele Lamm |
Brabant | |
| 1375 | Goldgulden Rijnse Gouden |
Florence and the Rhenish territories | |
| 1385 | Couronne d'Or Goudenkroon |
40 Groschen | France |
| c.1400 | Cavalier d'Or Gouden Rijder |
Gueldres | |
| 1466-1489 | Andreasgulden Andriesgulden |
20 Stüber (24 Stüber after 1474) | |
| 1486 | Real d'Or | 1½ Karolusgulden after 1521 | |
| 1496 | Goldenes Vlies Gulden Vlies |
50 Stüber | |
| Philippsgulden Phillipusgulden |
25 Stüber | ||
| 1521 | Karolusgulden |
Table of Silver coinages
| DATE OF ISSUE | NAME | EQUIVALENT VALUE | LOCATION of INITIAL ISSUE |
| c. 800 | Pfennig Penning |
240 Pfennig = 20 Schilling = 1 Pound | |
| c. 1000-1100 | Pfennig | 160 Pfennig = 8 oz. weight = 1 Köln Mark | |
| Obol | ½ Pfennig | ||
| 1100's | Köpfchen |
|
|
| 1200's | Sterling Double Sterling Esterlin |
4 light Pfennig 2 Mailles/Köpfchen |
England - the Sterling was modelled from the English Penny |
| Later 1200's | Gros Tournois |
12 light Pfennig 3 Sterling |
France |
| 1337 | Groschen Vlaamse Groot Leeuwengroot |
24 Flanders Mites 8 Holland Penning |
Flanders |
| 1340 | Turnosegroschen | Köln | |
| 1365 | Double Groschen Plak Boddrager Krumsteert Tuinen |
8 Brabant Pfennig 16 Holland Penning |
Flanders |
| 1390 | Braspfennig Braspenning |
2½ Groschen (= 1¼ Stüber) | Flanders |
| 1434 | Groschen | 36 Brabant Mites 24 Flanders Mites (= 12 Korte) 12 Hennegau Pfennig 8 Holland Penning |
Brabant Hennegau Holland |
| 1434 | Stüber (Stuyver) | 2 Groschen 16 Holland Penning 48 Brabant Mites 4 Duits |
Flanders |
| 1435 | Double Stüber Jager |
Groningen | |
| 1480's | Griffon Double and Half as well |
4 Stüber | |
| 1496 | Silveren Vlies Vliezen Toison d'Argent |
3 Stüber | |
| 1500 | Schilling Snaphaan Roosschilling Arendsschilling |
6 Stüber (Gueldres) | |
| 1538 | Thaler Daalder |
c. 30 Stüber | Schlick, Nijmegen, Gueldres |
| 1555 | Ecu Philippe Philipsdaalder |
35 Stüber ½ Real d'Or |
The workhorse denomination unit of the western Low Countries in the later Middle Ages was the Stuiver. Most other denominations are multiples and divisions of it, according to the following table.
| DENOMINATION NAME | EQUIVALENT STUIVERS |
AVERAGE WEIGHT |
NOTES |
Ducat |
100 |
-- |
|
Goudgulden |
65 |
-- |
|
Double Daalder |
60 |
-- |
|
Reaal d' Or |
50 |
4.9-5.2g |
Struck in the 15th and 16th c. and of equal value to the later silver Patagons and Rijksdaalders. |
Patagon |
50 |
27.6-28.1g |
The name means 'heavy' and is related to the word 'piedfort', a term denoting a coin struck on a thick flan. They appear in the early 1600s and the hammered examples are often of crude quality. There are rare Double Patagons equivalent to a Ducat. |
Rijksdaalder |
50 |
28.3-28.5g |
The equivalent of the Reichsthaler, struck from the later 16th c. |
Daalder |
30 |
-- |
This is the equivalent of the Thaler, struck beginning in the mid-16th c. |
Florin |
28 |
3.2-3.4g |
|
Gulden |
20 |
-- |
|
Reaal d' Argent |
8 |
7.0-7.2g |
Very large and beautiful coins of the late 15th c., there are at least two early dates and both are very rare and valuable. |
Schelling |
6 |
-- |
A later silver coin, occasionally billon of variable value from 5-8 Stuivers, a 6-8 Stuiver version is also known as the Snaphaan. Schellings used outside the Netherlands proper were often called Escalins. |
Vlieger |
4 |
2.5-2.7g |
A finer silver coin also known as a Double Jager or Krabbelaar. The name Vlieger probably refers to the flying stance of the eagle on the coin compared to the Jager. Vliegers appear in the 1470s and in some areas are known as Braspfennigs. |
Vuurijzer |
2¼ |
-- |
The Dutch equal of the Brabant and Burgundian Briquet. See the Belgium table. |
Jager |
2 |
2.5-2.8g |
A base silver or billon coin dating to the 1450's, heavily minted in Groningen showing an eagle with two shields. Later coins of two Stuivers were called Dubbeltje |
Stuiver |
1 |
1.8-2.1g |
Valued at 8 Duits or 6 Plaks, the name 'Stuiver' is of uncertain origin but is possibly based on a minting term. |
Blank |
½-¾ |
-- |
A small inferior silver coin of varying value, assumed to be named for its shiny white silver appearance. |
Groot |
½ |
1.2-1.4g |
The Dutch 'Groschen' or 'Groat' of four Duits, it's plural is Grooten. |
Vierling |
¼ |
A four Penning piece | |
Plak |
1/6 |
0.5-0.6g |
The name 'Plak' is derived from the French 'Plaque', assumed to mean a thin plate of metal. The Plak is usually a poor billon coin. The plural is Plakken. |
Duit |
1/8 |
-- |
Established by the mint ordinance of 1586 to equal two Penning |
Penning |
1/16 |
-- |
The Dutch 'Pfennig' or 'Penny' |
Mite |
1/48 |
~1.0g |
Little copper or base silver coins of variable value from 2-4 to a Penning. There is one early date copper mite from Gand in Flanders. |
Punt |
1/96 |
-- |
Tiny copper coins valued at six to a Penning. |
BELGIUM, FRISIA, & VICINITY
Its proximity to the other
low countries makes the coinage of the modern-day Belgian territories similar
to that of the Netherlands. Many denominations are nearly equivalent but
have different names
| DENOMINATION NAME | EQUIVALENT STUIVERS |
AVERAGE WEIGHT |
NOTES |
Double Briquet, Dubbeljte Vuurijzer |
4-4½ |
2.8-3.1g (.798 Ag) |
A finer silver coin, the Double Briquet is differentiated by showing two facing lions |
Briquet, Vuurijzer |
2-2¼ |
2.8-3.0g (.399 Ag) |
A small silver coin of the 15th c. usually showing a lion with a briquet, or fire-striking steel, in its claw. Known as a Vuurijzer in some states. |
Patard |
1 |
A coin of roughly equivalent value to the stuiver, issued in the later 15th c. |