Ok. I am running out of German states I can write a coin blog about. So I have been looking at other ideas. I was thinking: African Colonial coins? No. Italian states coins? Probably later. Pre-Columbian currency? Probably not. More Great Empires? Definitely. And that is where our story is going this morning. You may be wondering: how does that relate to Hanover? Well, hypothetical reader, I'm glad you asked. 

The Kingdom of Hanover was established in 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III of England to his Hanoverian territories. It joined 38 other German states in the German Confederation in June 1815. The kingdom was ruled by the Hanovers, a branch of House Welf, in personal union with the UK. That means that the monarch of the UK was effectively the ruler of Hanover. 

I have never done a German States blog without describing the monetary system. The Hanoverian Thaler from 1814-1866 is probably the most complex one yet, more elaborate than the Spanish Colonial one I did the other day because the value of the Pfennig changed in 1857. So: 1 Thaler = 24 Groschen = 36 Mariengroschen = 300 Pfennig (from 1857-1864) = 360 Pfennig (from 1814-1856). 2 Krone = 9 Ducat = 18 Thaler. Next, they used a system called the Vereinsthaler, which is a bit easier: 1 Vereinsthaler = 30 Groschen = 300 Pfennige • 1 Goldkrone = 9.3 Vereinsthaler. I don't know why 1 Goldkrone has to be 9.3 Vereinsthaler. Imagine if you went to a Hanoverian store and you had to pay 1 Goldkrone, but you only had Vereinsthalers and Groschens. You would have to spend nine Vereinsthaler and 10 Groschen. Even then, it wouldn't be exact.

Most Hanoverian coins were minted in the Clausthal-Zellerfeld mint. Located about 40 miles southeast of Hanover, it was a city whose economy ran on the mint. The mint there was so significant that many places today are named after Hanoverian coins, like the Goldkrone Hotel. The mint produced coins until the German Unification, when the process was moved to the mints in Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, etc. 

The designs for the different coin denominations never really changed throughout Hanoverian history, except when the reigning monarch died and when they wanted to change up the reverse. The ten thaler coin from  1832-1856 showed a bust of the king, usually facing right and surrounded by the king's title, on the obverse. The reverse showed a crowned coat of arms, the words Zehn Thaler (Ten Thalers), and the date. The ten thaler coins themselves were made of gold. The purity depended on who the king was, ranging anywhere from .896 to .986 pure gold. 

Thanks for reading, happy collecting, and have a nice day!
Learn More:

Numista -> Kingdom of Hannover

Britannica -> History of the Kingdom of Hanover

Google Image search: Hanoverian coins