Groschen

The groschen is one of the most famous historical coin denominations in Europe and played a central role in everyday payments for many centuries. The term originally derives from the Latin ‘grossus denarius’, which means ‘thick denarius’. The groschen was first minted in France and Italy in the 12th century in response to the growing need for larger coin denominations for expanding long-distance trade. With a higher silver content and larger diameter than the classic denarius or pfennig, the groschen quickly became the preferred trade coin in many European regions.
The groschen spread throughout German-speaking countries from the 13th century onwards and established itself in various forms and weight classes. Particularly well known is the so-called ‘Meissen groschen’, which was introduced in Saxony in the 14th century and was popular due to its high minting quality and large surface area. The groschen also gained importance in Bohemia, Austria and other parts of Central Europe in the late Middle Ages and early modern period. Its popularity led to the emergence of numerous regional variants, such as the Kreuzgroschen and the Dreigroschen.
Like many other denominations, the silver content of the groschen underwent frequent changes over the centuries. Currency reforms and coin debasement led to a gradual reduction in the original silver content, transforming the groschen from a once highly valued silver coin into a small unit of account. Nevertheless, it remained deeply rooted in everyday language and the monetary system – in the early modern period, for example, 12 pfennigs were referred to as a groschen in many German states.
The term also experienced a revival in modern times. In Austria, the groschen was a subunit of the schilling (1 schilling = 100 groschen) from the currency reform of 1924 until the introduction of the euro in 2002. This continuity in the use of the term shows how deeply the groschen was anchored in the collective monetary memory.
In a numismatic context, the groschen is an extremely exciting object of study, as its history is closely linked to the economic, political and technological development of Europe. The various coinages, coin designs and inscriptions provide information not only about coin masters and mints, but also about value relations, metal deposits and trade networks. For collectors, the groschen offers a fascinating range of historical variants – from medieval silver coins to modern small coins of the 20th century.
This makes the groschen much more than just an old coin: it is a mirror of European monetary history, a testimony to economic dynamism and a popular object of numismatic research and collection.