1/4 gulden

History

With the Vienna Monetary Treaty of 1857 the monarchy moved from the Convention currency to the Austrian currency, in which the gulden was divided into 100 kreuzer instead of the previous 60. The new system needed practical fractional denominations, so alongside the gulden, the double gulden and the small kreuzer coins the quarter gulden was created. Striking began in 1857 and ended in 1872; afterwards small silver was replaced by 10 and 20 kreuzer pieces of lower fineness and, from 1892, by the crown currency.

Specifications and types

The quarter gulden weighs 5.345 g, is .520 fine (2.78 g of pure silver) and measures 23 mm. Two main types exist: the Austrian type with the emperor's portrait on the obverse and the double-headed eagle on the reverse, and the Hungarian type with the Hungarian arms, struck for the lands of the Crown of St Stephen. The coins were struck at Vienna (A), Kremnica (B), Karlsburg (E), Milan (M) and Venice (V); the Italian mints worked only until the loss of Lombardy and Venetia. Collectors distinguish the coins by date and mintmark and, for the Hungarian type, by the legend variant.