The ''Zollpfennig'' ("customs ''pfennig''") was ''

Pfennig The 'pfennig' (; . 'pfennigs' or ; symbol pf or ₰) or penny is a former German coin or note, which was the official currency from the 9th century until the introduction of the euro in 2002. While a valuable coin during the Middle Ages, i ...

'' coin with a special function, issued under Elector Charles Theodore (1742–1799) of the Palatinate in the years 1766, 1778 and minted in 1777 by the

Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Darmstadt) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a younger branch of the House of Hesse. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse betwee ...

. Both were made of copper and were small or fractional coins. They served to finance the state and to equalize the value of payments between coins of different coinage standards. Zollpfennig Hessen 1777 Av

The Palatinate ''Zollpfennigs'' from 1766 and 1778 depict a crowned lion within branches and the inscription CHUR PFALZ on the

obverse Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''o ...

. The

reverse Reverse or reversing may refer to: Arts and media * ''Reverse'' (Eldritch album), 2001 * ''Reverse'' (2009 film), a Polish comedy-drama film * ''Reverse'' (2019 film), an Iranian crime-drama film * ''Reverse'' (Morandi album), 2005 * ''Reverse'' ...

is inscribed with 1 ZOLL PFENNIG and the respective year. This type of coin is cataloged under number 172 in the German coin catalogue of the 18th century under the heading "Palatinate". While the Palatinate ''Zollpfennig'' was worth 1½ ''pfennigs'' in general payment transactions, it was only valued at 1 ''pfennig'' for payments to the electoral coffers and thus served to finance the state. The ''Zollpfennigs'' of

Hesse-Darmstadt The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Darmstadt) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a younger branch of the House of Hesse. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse betwee ...

were only minted with the year 1777. The obverse depicts a crowned lion with the two-part inscription HESSEN DARMST., the reverse is stamped with the inscrption I ZOLL PFENNIG and the date. The coin type is catalogued under no. 115 in the 18th century German Coin Catalogue under the Hesse-Darmstadt section. When Hesse-Darmstadt introduced the 20 gulden standard as

coinage standard Coinage may refer to: * Coins, standardized as currency * Neologism, coinage of a new word * ''COINage'', numismatics magazine * Tin coinage, a tax on refined tin * Protologism, coinage of a seldom used new term See also * Coining (disambiguati ...

in 1765, her neighbouring states kept the 24 gulden standard. In the following year, Hesse-Darmstadt allowed coins minted in the 24 gulden standard for payment transactions again, but continued to demand coins corresponding to the 20 gulden standard for payments to the public coffers and customs posts. Because there were no 20 gulden coins, the ''Zollpfennig'' was introduced to compensate for payments in 20 ''gulden''.

Literature

* Helmut Kahnt, ''Das große deutsche Münzlexikon von A bis Z'', Gietl Verlag, Regenstauf 2005

External links

''Zollpfennig''
at mgmindex.de. {{Pfennig Coins of the Holy Roman Empire Pfennig Customs duties