Timeline

• 10.11.1524
• Resolution of the Imperial Diet at Esslingen on the imperial weights and coins; effective immediately:
  - Imperial coinage weight standard: Cologne mark / 16 lots / 18 grains at 233.856 grams
  - Imperial silver coin: Guldiner (of 21 Groschen = 60 Kreuzer) at a rate of 8 Guldiner to the Cologne mark of 15-lots silver (Guldiner = 27'404.95mg AG fine).
• 28.07.1551
• Resolution of the Imperial Diet at Augsburg on the imperial coins; effective immediately:
  - Imperial silver coin: Guldiner (of 24 Groschen = 72 Kreuzer) at a rate of 7½ Guldiner to the Cologne mark of 14¹⁄₉-lots silver (Guldiner = 27'499.69mg AG fine).
• 19.08.1559
• Resolution of the Imperial Diet at Augsburg on the imperial coins; effective immediately:
  - Imperial silver coin: Guldiner (of 21 Groschen = 60 Kreuzer) at a rate of 9½ Guldiner to the Cologne mark of 14⁸⁄₉-lots silver (Guldiner = 22'906.91mg AG fine)
  - Imperial gold coin: Rhenish Gold Guilder at 72 Guilders to the Cologne mark of 18½-carats gold (Gold Guilder = 2'503.66mg AU fine).
• 30.05.1566
• Resolution of the Imperial Diet at Augsburg on the imperial coins; effective immediately:
  - Imperial silver coin: Thaler (of 68 Kreuzer) at a rate of 9 Thalers to the Cologne Mark of fine silver (Thaler = 25'983.96mg AG fine)
  - Imperial gold coin: Ducat at a rate of 67 Ducats to the Cologne Mark of 23⅔-carats gold (Ducat = 3'441.90g AU fine).
• 27.08.1667
• Agreement (at Zinna) between Brandenburg and the Electorate of Saxony, later joined by Brunswick-Lüneburg, on a common coin standard; effective immediately:
  - Silver coin: Thaler (of 24 Groschen) at a rate of 10½ Thalers to the Cologne mark of fine silver (Thaler = 22,271.96g AG fine).
• 16.01.1690
• Agreement (at Leipzig) between Brandenburg, the Electorate of Saxony and Brunswick-Lüneburg on a common coin standard; effective 28.02.1690:
  - Silver coin: Thaler (of 24 Groschen) at a rate of 12 Thalers to the Cologne mark of fine silver (Thaler = 19,487.97mg AG fine)
• 15.04.1737
• Resolution of the Imperial Diet on the adoption of the "Leipzig" Thaler as imperial silver coin; effective 01.12.1738 (after an investigation by a board of mint wardens):
  - Imperial silver coin: Thaler (of 24 Groschen) at a rate of 12 Thalers to the Cologne mark of fine silver (Thaler = 19,487.97mg AG fine)
  - Imperial gold coin: Ducat (of nominally 2⅔ Thalers) at a rate of 67 Ducats to the Cologne Mark of 23⅔-carats gold (Ducat = 3'441.90g AU fine).

Timeline

• 14.07.1750
• Royal ordinance [Münzedikt, referred to by the name of the Prussian minister of finances, J.P. Graumann] on the Prussian coinage; effective immediately (royal assent on 13.05.1750)
  - 29.03.1764: Royal ordinance on the restoration of the 1750 ordinance after its suspension during the Seven Years' War; effective immediately.
• 30.09.1821
• Law on the reformation of the coinage (including subsidiary coins) in the Prussian States; effective 01.01.1826
• 30.07.1838
• Treaty [Dresden Coinage Convention, "Dresdner Münzvertrag"] between the German States on an alignment of the Northern and Southern German coinage areas; effective 01.01.1839:
  - Treaty states in the Thaler area: Hesse (former Electorate), Prussia, Reuss (both lines), Saxony, Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Gotha, Saxe-Weimar, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (Unterherrschaft), Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.
• 24.01.1857
• Treaty [Vienna Coinage Convention, "Wiener Münzverein"] between the German States and Austria on an alignment between the two German and the Austrian monetary areas; effective 01.05.1857
  - Treaty states in the Thaler ("Vereinstaler") area: Anhalt (both lines), Brunswick, Hanover, Hesse (former Electorate), Lippe, Oldenburg, Prussia (without Hohenzollern), Reuss (both lines), Saxony, Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Gotha, Saxe-Weimar, Schaumburg-Lippe, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (Unterherrschaft), Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Waldeck & Pyrmont.
  - The weight of the Thaler was reduced by 0.2%; the pre-Vienna coins were demonetized on 31.10.1858.
• 13.06.1867
• Treaty [German Customs Convention, "Deutscher Zollverein"] on the continuation the Vienna Convention arrangement between the two German monetary areas (without link to the Austrian area); effective 01.01.1868.

Valuation Regimes

• 1750-1857
• Metallic currency based on circulating silver coins, additional gold coins without fixed rate against silver. Base weight is the Cologne mark / 16 lots / 18 grains at 233.856 grams.
• 1857-1875
• Metallic currency based on circulating silver coins, additional gold coins without fixed rate against silver. Base weight is the metric pound (called "Zollpfund") at 500 grams.

Timeline

• 07.11.1750
• Imperial ordinance ["Kaiserlich-königliche Hauptmünzamtsinstruktion"] on the introduction of the Guilder as new base coin for Austria and the Habsburg Crown Lands; effective immediately
• 21.09.1753
• Treaty [Bavarian-Austrian Coinage Convention, "Bayrisch-österreichische Münzkonvention"] between Austria and Bavaria on an alignment of the Bavarian and Austrian coinage areas; effective 07.10.1753.
• 30.07.1754
• Ordinance on the revaluation of the Thaler at 144 Kreuzer (instead of 120 Kreuzer) for Bavaria, corresponding to a Thaler of 24 Guilders (instead of 20 Guilders) since the states were unable to exchange the subsidiary coins; effective immediately
• 21.02.1765
• Treaty (at Frankfurt) between the states of Mainz, Trier, Palatinate, Hesse-Darmstadt, Frankfurt on the adoption of the Bavarian coinage standard; effective immediately (?)
• 1800-1838
• Circulation of the Brabant Thaler ("Kronentaler") in Southern Germany:
  - 28.03.1793: Introduction of the silver coin in the Austrian Netherlands at a rate of 9½ Thalers to the Vienna mark of 13¹⁷⁄₁₈-lots silver (Thaler = 25'744.63mg AG fine); the subsequent 2.2% overrating at 162 Kreuzer (instead of 158.5 Kreuzer) led to a displacement of the Convention coinage.
  - The 1838 weight reduction of the Southern German Guilder reduced the overrating to 0.1% (at 162 Kreuzer instead of 161.8 Kreuzer) so that the Brabant Thalers were outmoded quickly.
• 25.08.1837
• Treaty [Munich Coinage Convention, "Münchner Münzvertrag"] on a weight reduction of the Southern German Guilder to allow an alignment to the Northern German Thaler; effective 01.01.1838:
  - Treaty states: Baden, Bavaria, Frankfurt, Hesse, Nassau, Württemberg.
• 30.07.1838
Treaty [Dresden Coinage Convention, "Dresdner Münzvertrag] between the German States on an alignment of the Northern and Southern German coinage areas; effective 01.01.1839:
- Treaty states in the Guilder area: Baden, Bavaria, Frankfurt, Hesse, Nassau, Saxe-Coburg, Saxe-Meiningen, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (Oberherrschaft), Württemberg.
• 24.01.1857
• Treaty [Vienna Coinage Union, "Wiener Münzverein"] between the German States and Austria on an alignment between the two German and the Austrian monetary areas; effective 01.05.1857
  - Treaty states in the Guilder ("Vereinsgulden") area: Baden, Bavaria, Frankfurt, Hesse, Hesse-Homburg, Hohenzollern (Prussia), Nassau, Saxe-Coburg, Saxe-Meiningen, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (Oberherrschaft), Württemberg.
  - The weight of the Guilder was reduced by 0.2%; the pre-Vienna coins were demonetized on 31.10.1858.
• 13.06.1867
• Treaty [German Customs Union, "Deutscher Zollverein"] on the reconstitution of the Customs Convention as continuation the Vienna Convention arrangement between the two German monetary areas (without link to the Austrian area); effective 01.01.1868.
• 27.03.1870
• Law [No. 452] of the North German Confederation on the prohibition of further paper money issuance by commercial banks; effective immediately.
• 16.06.1870
• Law [No. 543] of the North German Confederation on the prohibition of further paper money issuance by the individual states; effective immediately.

Valuation Regimes

• 1754-1857
• Metallic currency based on circulating silver coins, additional gold coins without fixed rate against silver. Base weight is the Cologne mark / 16 lots / 18 grains at 233.856 grams.
• 1857-1875
• Metallic currency based on circulating silver coins, additional gold coins without fixed rate against silver. Base weight is the metric pound (called "Zollpfund") at 500 grams.

Timeline

• Free and Hanseatic City of Bremen: Accounting in Bremen Thaler (gold) / 72 Grote / 5 Schwaren:
  - Defined at 1 French Pistol = 5 Thalers, Prussian and Danish Pistols circulated at the same rate (the coin weights were defined through official weight stones authorized by ordinances of 27.04.1787 and 03.08.1837).
  - 12.05.1824: Ordinance on the rating of circulating gold and silver coins; effective 17.05.1824.
  - 19.09.1857: Ordinance on the legal tender status of gold coins in the standard of the Vienna Coinage Union at a rate of 1 Crown ("Vereinskrone") = 8.4 Bremen Thalers, which fixed the gold weight at 420 Bremen Thalers to the metric pound of fine gold (Thaler = 1'190.48mg AU fine); effective immediately.
  - 30.04.1872: Law on the introduction of the German currency and withdrawal of the Bremen coinage at a rate of 28 Bremen Thalers = 93 German Marks (Mark = 21²¹⁄₃₁ Grote); effective 01.07.1872 (demonetization of the Bremen coinage on 30.09.1872).
• Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg:
  - Accounting in Hamburg Mark / 16 Schilling / 12 Pfennig, with distinction between a trade currency ("Banco-Mark") and a specie currency ("Kurant-Mark"):
  - around 1726: Rating of the specie currency at 34 Hamburg "Kurant-Mark" to the Cologne mark of fine silver ("Kurant-Mark" = 6'878.11mg AG fine).
  - 08.07.1790: Law on the introduction of a trade currency at (on average) 27⅝ Hamburg "Banco-Mark" to the Cologne mark of fine silver; effective immediately.
  - 15.08.1846: Law on the rating of the trade currency at 27¾ Hamburg "Banco-Mark" to the Cologne mark of fine silver ("Banco-Mark" = 8'427.23mg AG fine).
  - 24.05.1856: Ordinance on the adoption of the Northern German currency, replacing the specie currency at 1 Northern German Thaler = 2½ Hamburg "Kurant-Mark"; effective 01.07.1856.
  - 05.02.1868: Ordinance on the alignment of the Hamburg currency to the standard of the German Customs Union at 59⅓ Hamburg "Banco-Mark" to the metric pound of fine silver ("Banco-Mark" = 8'426.97mg AG fine); effective 01.07.1868.
  - 11.11.1872: Law on the introduction of the German currency at a rate of 1½ Hamburg "Banco-Mark" = 1 German Mark (5 Hamburg "Kurant-Mark" = 6 German Marks); effective 15.02.1873.
• Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck:
  - Accounting in Hamburg currency; no local coinage 1801-1871.
• Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg - Lines: Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Strelitz:
  - 18.04.1755: Law on the creation of the Mecklenburg Thaler at a rate of 11⅓ Thalers to the Cologne mark of fine silver (Thaler = 20'643.35mg AG fine); due to the Seven Years' War implemented only in 1763.
  - 12.01.1848 / 27.02.1848: Law (Schwerin / Strelitz) on the alignment to the Prussian coinage standard of 14 Thalers to the Cologne mark of fine silver (Thaler = 16'703.97mg AG fine); effective 01.05.1848.
  - 22.01.1858 / 18.11.1858: Ordinance (Schwerin / Strelitz) on the legal tender status of the Vienna Coinage Union coinage; effective 01.07.1858.
  - 23.12.1871 / 23.12.1871: Ordinance (Schwerin / Strelitz) on the introduction of the German currency at a rate of 1 Mecklenburg Thaler = 3 German Mark and issuance of subsidiary coinage in silver and copper; effective immediately.
  - The Imperial Coinage Act of 09.07.1873 restricted the subsidiary coinage to the Reich, and the 5, 2, 1 Pfennig coins of the two Mecklenburg states were withdrawn until 31.12.1877.