Silver 1/3 Thaler King Frederick II the Great (1764-1786 | Currency of the "Old Fritz")

Small change of "Old Fritz" – an original from the Kingdom of Prussia

Some coins are an investment. Some are collector's items. And some are simply history you can hold in your hand. The 1/3 thaler made of silver, minted under King Frederick II of Prussia, belongs to the latter category. It was no showpiece for a display case, but genuine everyday money: a denomination that passed from hand to hand between Berlin, Breslau and Königsberg, while the region of Brandenburg-Prussia – mockingly dubbed the "sandbox of the Holy Roman Empire" – rose to become a European great power.

Design: the king in a laurel wreath

The obverse shows the laureled bust of Frederick the Great facing right, surrounded by the Latin legend FRIDERICUS BORUSSORUM REX – "Frederick, King of the Prussians." From 1764/65 onward this portrait was standardized; the so-called Berlin type replaced the individual depictions used by the various mints. The reverse is remarkably plain, entirely without heraldic splendor: a six-line value inscription "3 EINEN REICHS THALER," beneath it the year and mint mark, framed by a wreath of palm and laurel branches. Sober, functional, unmistakable – just like the state that issued these pieces.

The technical details at a glance

• Face value: 1/3 thaler (1/3 Reichsthaler), Kingdom of Prussia
• Precious metal: silver, fineness 625/1,000
• Gross weight: approx. 8.6 g – the fine weight varies depending on the individual piece and year of issue
• Diameter: 30 mm
• Minting period: 1764–1786; the year of issue supplied varies
• Origin: Kingdom of Prussia, mint varies
• Condition: circulated coin, grade varies
• Category: historical coin from the "History" series, collector's item

Four mints, countless variants

The letter beneath the year reveals the origin: A stands for Berlin, B for Breslau, E for Königsberg, F for Magdeburg. Each of these mints worked with its own die engravers. The lettering style, the ornaments to the left and right of the face value, the position of the mint mark, the rendering of the curls – all of this differs in subtle nuances. For collectors, that is exactly the appeal. No two specimens are exactly alike.

A third of a thaler – what was it worth back then?

The 1/3 thaler was equivalent to 8 Groschen, or 96 Pfennig. It was based on the Graumann coin standard: in 1750, Frederick II issued a decree on currency reform, drawn up by his General Mint Director Johann Philipp Graumann, according to which 14 Prussian Reichsthaler were struck from one fine Cologne Mark of silver. This made the 1/3 thaler the largest of the convenient small denominations – too valuable for buying bread in the morning, but exactly right for wages, cartage fees, rent and trade transactions. Whoever holds such a piece today holds Prussian economic history in their hand.

Condition: circulated coinage with a story

These pieces are circulated coinage – and they look the part. Darker patina, individual centering, small nicks, signs of wear, and areas where the legend is more weakly struck: these are not flaws, but biography. Every trace comes from hands that, centuries ago, used these coins to settle payments for goods, freight or debts.

Since the year of minting, mint mark and reverse variant may vary, the specimen delivered will differ from the image shown. Please understand the photo in the shop explicitly as a representative example: appearance, exact weight and condition vary from piece to piece for historical reasons. You are purchasing an original.

Historic silver with a double foundation

Precious metal remains precious metal, even after more than 250 years. Historic silver coins combine two dimensions: the material value of the precious metal they contain, and the numismatic value of the object itself. Silver has been used across nearly every culture for centuries as a monetary and trading metal; it is durable, liquid worldwide, and retains its physical properties over very long periods. On top of that comes modern industrial demand: electronics, solar technology and medical technology all require the metal, while supply naturally remains limited.

Gold is humanity's oldest currency and has outlasted every paper currency. Silver has always walked alongside it – as the metal of everyday life, of trade, and of small transactions.

This is precisely why many buyers value physical precious metal as an inflation hedge and as crisis protection. Unlike fiat money, whose value rests on trust in institutions, a silver coin carries its intrinsic value within itself – this 1/3 thaler has proven it for over two centuries. Small denominations are especially practical in this regard, since they can be acquired in manageable increments and, if needed, also used as a medium of exchange. A note on taxation: under current law, profits from the sale of silver are generally tax-free, provided a holding period of at least one year is observed. This note is, of course, no substitute for individual tax advice.

Who this piece is suited for

• Collectors of Old German states: Brandenburg-Prussia under Frederick the Great is one of the most popular collecting fields of all.
• History enthusiasts: a tangible testament from the era of Sanssouci, the Silesian Wars and enlightened absolutism.
• Newcomers to historic silver: significantly more accessible than a full Reichsthaler, yet carrying the same aura.
• Gift-givers: an 18th-century original makes an impression unlike any modern restrike.

Compared to the large thaler, the 1/3 thaler is the more manageable piece; compared to the 1/6 thaler or the Groschen, it is the more impressive one: at 30 mm in diameter, it has real presence between your fingers. Whether you collect Prussian history, wish to add to your collection of historic coins, or simply want to own an original from the reign of "Old Fritz," here you will find a witness to history that has outlasted wars, currency reforms and changes of state – and the silver within it is still the same today as it was in 1773.