Four groschen (1/6 of a thaler)

As Sweden became involved in the Seven Years' War (1757-1762) there arose a need for increasing the amount of money in circulation to fund the army. The mint was arranged in Stralsund and, contrary to imperial law, leased to bankers. Both the lease and the Münzfuß were kept secret, implying that coins were being minted to a reduced standard. Better money was pulled from the market and quickly remade on the rollers into inferior 'war' money. In 1758, under the royal stamp of Adolf Friedrich (1751-1771), the first coin parts of the thaler were issued: four and eight groschen. Privately owned business continued until 1760, after which the mint was brought back under the administration of the Swedish Crown and continued to operate until 1808. A number of coin grades then began to bear the notation of the 1690 Leipzig Münzfuß used on the reverse. The four groschen coins with the royal monogram and griffin were only issued in 1758 and 1759. The depiction of a crowned griffin with a raised sword was a reference to Pomeranian tradition and alludes to the state of military alert to defend Pomerania. The prominent initials of OHK belonged to Münzmeister Otto Heinrich Knorre, an experienced professional formerly employed in this position at Schwerin. Adolf Friedrich was the last Swedish king whose portrait and titulature were featured on Pomeranian coins. However, the coin in question features his crowned monogram instead of a portrait. Genowefa Horoszko