1/24 of a thaler (groschen)

Stralsund was the only Pomeranian city to pursue a monetary policy independent of the Dukes of Pomerania. The privilege purchased in 1325 guaranteed the full minting rights for the town, including their own issue type, Münzfuß and imagery on the stamps, which never included the family crest of the House of Griffins. The only limitation was the minting ban when the duke's mint in Szczecin was not operating. The privilege of Emperor Ferdinand I of Habsburg from 1559 further strengthened the city's separatism and enabled minting coins with imperial symbolism. Loyalty to the monarch was symbolically demonstrated with a two-headed eagle and the titulature on the reverse of many Stralsund coins. The death of the last Pomeranian duke in 1637 and the transition to Swedish rule did not change the minting situation of the town. Moreover, Stralsund issued coins also in the years when the royal mint in Szczecin was closed. Stralsund minted 1/24 of a thaler, also called a grosch intermittently from 1662 to 1691. The obverse sides were always decorated with the municipal coat of arms surrounded by territorial title. The reverse was decorated with either of two stamps: the imperial eagle or a horizontal inscription with denomination. Emissions with the imperial eagle are exceptionally decorative, 3 types of stamps from 1662, 1663 and 1666–1668 have been identified. The minting was supervised by Heinrich Johann Hille, who held the position of mintmaster and concurrently served in the same role at the royal mint in Szczecin from 1666 to 1671. Coins are almost constantly signed with its ligature, connecting the initials of both of his names and his surname, and many coins also bear a battle-axe sign. Genowefa Horoszko