The coin tower in Beeskow
No, huge hordes of tourists don’t come to Beeskow, the district capital of Brandenburg’s Oder-Spree district. Yet the town has a lot to offer. And I’m not talking about the castle with its museum and the Marienkirche, which was rebuilt after reunification.
Beeskow has a more or less complete town wall. And one of the gates is called the ‘Münzturm’ (coin tower).
A quick consultation of the internet revealed that the minting tools, metal and finished coins from Beeskow were supposed to have been stored in this tower. How exciting. I admit it: as a native of southern Germany, I had never heard of coins from Beeskow. Perhaps you feel the same way.
Coins of the Lords of Strele
The first coins are said to have been minted in Beeskow under the Lords of Strele. This knightly family belonged to the ministerials of the Wettin dynasty and seized the opportunity that presented itself when the Wettins withdrew from the areas north of the Spree: from the second half of the 13th century onwards, the Lords of Strele secured a strategically important
and commercially vital crossing point over the Elbe. They built a small castle, which became the centre of the trading town of Beeskow. The town became rich through long-distance trade, so rich that one of the largest churches in the Margraviate of Brandenburg was built here in the 15th century.
Of course, a market needed coins, and these were an excellent source of income for the market’s owner. That is why the Lords of Strele also minted coins, in four mints at once. In addition to Guben, Luckau and Spremberg, coins were now also being minted in Beeskow.
What looks to us like an upside-down B or an anchor is, according to Emil Bahrfeldt, a stylised representation of scythe blades, which refer to the coat of arms of the Lords of Strele. Their name is derived from the old German word for scythe – strele.
Good business during the Kipper and Wipper area
These medieval pennies are extremely rare at auction. We encounter coins minted by Elector Georg Wilhelm of Brandenburg in Beeskow in 1621 much more frequently.
They were produced during the Kipper and Wipper period, when many coin masters entered the lucrative business of cheap money.
The Austrians had started the coin debasement in order to finance their war in Bohemia. Many others followed suit and thus got rid of their debts at the expense of their citizens. Sovereigns such as Elector Georg Wilhelm had coins of full weight collected, often by local entrepreneurs, and brought them to quickly erected hedge mints such as the Münzturm (mint tower) in Beeskow. There, the good coins were melted down and used to produce significantly more pennies from significantly poorer silver.
These coins now feature two coats of arms: on the right – heraldically on the left – the three scythes of the Lords of Beeskow; on the left, a five-pointed stag’s antler, i.e. half a set of stag’s antlers. This coat of arms comes from the Lords of Biberstein, who took over the rule of Beeskow after the Lords of Strele died out. Below it is a B for Beeskow, above it the year 1621.
It’s interesting that this coin bears the coat of arms of Beeskow – and not that of the actual mint master…
The end of coin minting
But that was the end of coin minting in Beeskow. The equipment that was easily transportable was transferred to other mints after the end of the minting season, and the rest was stored in the tower, which was also used as the town prison until 1910.
If there are any later numismatic evidence from Beeskow, they are private medals, such as this beautiful piece, which tells of a balloon chase by the Beeskow Motorcycle Club in 1928.
As a reminder, motorcycles were already quite fast back then. With around 25 horsepower, they could reach speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour. But that wasn’t much use when it came to chasing a balloon flying cross-country in any direction. It required good local knowledge and a good sense of direction. Daring was more important than a fast machine. Sometimes the route might have led across a pasture or through a seemingly impassable forest.
And that’s it. Our numismatic excursion to the small town of Beeskow has come to an end.
Beeskow. Statutory mint of the Lords of Strele. Bracteate, circa 1250. Very fine. Sold at Dr. Busso Peus Nachfolger auction 410-411 (2013), no. 2342 for 140 euros.
Text and images: Ursula Kampmann
Beeskow. Kipperpfennig 1621. Excellent condition. Sold at Heidelberger Münzhandlung Herbert Grün Auction 62 (2013), No. 1951 for 30 euros. Photo: Lübke & Wiedemann.
