W. C a r e w H a z l i t t Coinage of the European Continent

Descriptive Outline of the Coinages of Europe 325
burgh itself, and underwent numerous modifications of frontier
and government before it was consolidated with the dukedom
fabric,
of Prussia and other territories into a kingdom in 1701.
Of the reigning houses prior to 1415 there are copious
numismatic remains, commencing with bracteates of superior
and subsequently, as we see almost everywhere, developing,
under the later margraves, into pfennigen, groschen,
thalers, and gold coins, with their divisions. Berlin was from
an early date one of the mints with a bear passant to
right, or a bear and an eagle but it was ; by no means
so largely used as Brandenburgh, Koepnik, and Stendal, or
even Frankfort-on-the-Oder. In addition to those in their
own immediate territories, the margraves are found striking
money in the fourteenth century in Saxony and Pomerania.
sixteenth century are well
The groschen and thalers of the
Some of
executed, and usually bear characteristic portraits.
the legends of Albert, who incorporated with his ancestral
estates those of the Teutonic Order, describe the margraf
as Duke of Pnissia : a grosch of 1542 has this reading;
a thaler of I 549 omits it. We note that in course of time
the bear disappears, and the eagle grows more conspicuous
and spreads
its
wings, so as, in the first -named piece, to
occupy the greater part of the reverse.
When we enter the seventeenth century we are confronted
with a double thaler of George William (1619-40),
where he is said to be Margraf of Brandenburgh and Duke