Coins of Ferdinand V and revolutionary coins from 1848-1849

In today's article devoted to Ferdinand I the Good, we will focus not only on his person and the difficult period accompanying the end of his reign, but as usual we will talk mainly about coins.

Ferdinand I the Good - the fragile Habsburg

Ferdinand Karl Leopold Joseph Franz Marcellinus was born as the eldest son of Emperor Franz II (I) and his second wife Maria Theresa of Naples-Sicily on 19 April 1793 in Vienna.

From birth, he suffered from serious health problems, including epilepsy, rickets (rickets) and hydrocephalus which resulted in Ferdinand's enlarged head in addition to his already disproportionate body. These difficulties were partly the result of the frequent consanguineous marriages in the Habsburg family and earned him the nickname "der arme Trottel Nandel" ("poor little Ferdinand").

Ferdinand did not receive an education and careful upbringing until after his ninth year, as doctors of the time believed that physical and mental exertion led to the worsening of epilepsy. Although he was reportedly unable to open doors independently at the age of nine, he learned to drink from a cup quickly, despite his limitations. In addition to reading and writing, he learned five languages (leaving aside his native German), including Czech, which he was the only Habsburg to master. Like many of his family, he was musically gifted - he played the piano and trumpet, and was interested in technology, science and botany, which he continued to actively pursue in his later years.

Ferdinand's first coronation took place on 28 September 1830 in Pressburg (now Bratislava), where he was crowned King of Hungary as Ferdinand V. A few months later, on 12 February 1831, he was married per procuratio to Maria Anna of Savoy, and on 27 February the couple were married (already in person) in Vienna. Maria Anna was throughout her life Ferdinand's nurse rather than his real wife, and their union remained childless.

When his father died in 1835, Ferdinand became Emperor of Austria, and on 7 September 1836 also became the last King of Bohemia (as in the case of Hungary in order V.The de facto power, however, remained in the hands of the State Conference, headed by Prince Metternich. Ferdinand's mild nature and health limitations made him less able to face radical changes. The revolutionary events that swept through the Habsburg monarchy eventually forced him to abdicate. On 2 December 1848, in Olomouc, he handed over power to his nephew Franz Joseph I, who took over the government in complicated circumstances.

After his abdication, Ferdinand withdrew from public life and spent most of his time in seclusion at Prague Castle. Despite his limitations, he was popular among the people for his simple and kind nature. On his daily walks through Prague he gave alms to the poor and sweets to children. He financially supported Prague's hospitals and orphanages and contributed considerable sums (in the order of hundreds of thousands of gold pieces) to the development of the city. To this day, he is known for his alleged simple-mindedness, reflected in the popular saying, "When I am emperor, I want to eat dumplings."

Ferdinand died on 29 June 1875 in Prague at the age of 82. Although he was neither a strong reformer nor a strong ruler, his life story is a reminder of the importance of humanity and humility. Ferdinand I the Good remains one of the unforgettable figures of the Habsburg monarchy.

Coinage during the reign of Ferdinand I the Good

At the time of Ferdinand's reign, a conventional monetary system was in circulation, with the gold (guilder) as the main unit of currency, but it was already showing signs of obsolescence. His coinage followed that of his father and was one of the less varied of the Habsburg (now Habsburg-Lorraine) dynasty. Apart from the reintroduction of the silver 6 kreuzar (last minted in 1795 under Francis II) and the introduction of the copper 2 kreuzar, the coinage system did not undergo any major reformation.

Mint offices were in operation in Vienna(A), Kremnica(B, in the revolutionary year 1848 KB), Prague(C), Belgrade of Carlsbad(E), Milan(M), Venice(V ), and on the small coins of 1848-49 Z.V.) and an emergency mint provisionally established in 1848 in Mantova, Lombardy(G.M.), which struck the following types of coins.

Government coins for the Austrian Empire

• 3 Krejcar (Ag), minted at the mints of Vienna, Prague, Karlovy Vary and in 1838 also in Kremnica.
• 5 krejcar (Ag), minted at the mints of Vienna, Prague (in 1839 and 1840) and in 1838 also in Kremnica.
• 10 krejcar (Ag), minted at the mints of Vienna, Prague and Karlovy Vary. Hungarian types with Madonna and Child Jesus in Kremnica as 10 Krejcar.
• 20 krejcar (Ag), minted at the mints of Vienna, Kremnica, Prague, Carlsbad and Milan. Hungarian types with Madonna and Child Jesus in Kremnica as 20 Kraiczar.
• ½ thaler conventional - gulden (Ag), minted at the Vienna mint and the Hungarian type in 1837 and 1839 in Kremnica.
• Conventional tolar - 2 guilder (Ag), minted at the mints of Vienna, Prague (1836 only) and in 1837/38 also in Milan. Hungarian types in Kremnica also with the year 1837/38.
• Ducat (Au), minted at the mints of Vienna, Kremnica, Carlsbad and Venice. The Hungarian coins depict a standing figure of the monarch in the obverse and the traditional Madonna and Child Jesus in the reverse.
• 4 ducats (Au), minted at the Vienna Mint. It is also known from the mint of Karlovy Vary Belgrade with the year 1848, however, there are no records of the number of pieces issued (according to the author's findings, it has not been offered publicly for at least 30 years).

Mintages for Lombardy and Veneto

• The centesimo (Cu), equal to 1/5 of a kreutzar, was struck at the mints of Milan and Venice.
• The 3 centesimi (Cu), equal to 3/5 of a kreutzero, were minted at the mints of Milan and Venice.
• 5 centesimi (Cu), equal to a Krejcar, was struck at the mints of Milan and Venice.
• The ¼ lira (Ag), worth 25 centesime or 5 kreutzers, was minted in Milan and Venice, and the 1835 and 1837 mintmarks for the moreMint of Vienna (also valid for the other Ag coins mentioned below), but it is not known whether they produced at least test mintages.
• The ½ scudo (Ag), worth 3 lire or guilder, was struck in Milan and Venice.
• The scudo (Ag), worth 6 lire or thaler, was minted in Milan and Venice.
• The ½ sorvano (Au), worth 20 lire, was minted in Milan, Venice and in 1839 in Vienna (also known as the 1837 mintmark).
• The Sorvano (Au), worth 40 lire, was minted in Milan, Venice and Vienna.

Revolutionary issues 1848-1849 and emergency coins from Mantova

The series of revolutions also known as the Spring of Nations brought change on political, social and national levels. The intention to break away and differentiate as much as possible from the authoritarian regime was reflected in the coinage of the various parts of the Empire.

During the revolutionary year of 1848, coinage continued in Austria and Bohemia under the control of the imperial court, but the situation was different in Hungary and the Italian states. In Hungary and Lombardy, coinage began to be minted under the control of the revolutionary governments during the Revolution, as well as in Venice, which proclaimed the Republic of Saint Mark on 22 March.

After the suppression of the revolutions in 1849, the coinage in the Empire was again placed under Austrian administration.

Revolutionary coinage of 1848

• 2 Krejcar (Cu), minted in 1848 in Vienna.
• 6 Krejcar (Ag), minted in 1848 in Vienna and Prague.

Hungarian revolutionary mints 1848-1849

The list also includes coins minted at the beginning of the reign of FJ I.

• Krejcar (Cu), as EGY KRAJCZÁR, minted in 1848 without a mark (in Kremnica?) and in 1849 in Velká Báňa (Kremnica only test).
• 3 krejcar (Cu), as HÁROM KRAJCZÁR, trial minted in Kremnica and in 1849 in Velká Báňa.
• 6 krejcar (Ag), struck in 1848 in the Austrian version in Kremnica and in 1849 as HAT KRAJCZÁR with the Hungarian coat of arms on the reverse in Velká Báňa.
• 10 krejcar (Ag), minted in 1848 in Kremnica with Hungarian design.
• 20 krejcar (Ag), minted in Kremnica in 1848 with Hungarian inscription.
• Ducat (Au), minted with Hungarian inscription in 1848 in Kremnica.

Milan Revolutionary coins of 1848

• Lira, only as trial coins in silver, bronze and tin
• 2 lire, only as proofs in silver, bronze and tin
• 5 lire (Ag)
• 20 lire (Au)
• 40 lire (Au)

Venetian revolutionary coins of 1848-1849 (Republic of St Mark)

• Centesimo 1849 (Cu)
• 3 centesimi 1849 (Cu)
• 5 centesimi 1849 (Cu)
• 15 centesimi 1848 (billon 229/100)
• 25 centesimi 1848 (Ag), only as a test mintage
• 5 lire 1848 (Ag), issued in two variants
• 20 lire 1848 (Au)

Revolutionary coins from Dalmatia

Although Dalmatia remained relatively peaceful and under the firm control of Vienna during the revolutionary years of 1848 and 1849, two (rather symbolic) issues are recorded from this region. Both came from the Croatian mint of Zagreb (Z) and were probably issued by Ban of Croatia and Slavonia in 1848/49 and Field Marshal of the Imperial Army, Count Josip Jelačić of Bužim.

• The Križar (Cu), officially Jedan Križar, also known as Jelači's krejcar, was minted in 46 pieces in 1849 at the Zagreb mint, weighing 8.77 g and 24 mm in diameter.
• The Gulden (Ag), also known as Jelači's goldsmith's goldsmith's piece, weighing ~9.5 g and 27.5 mm in diameter, was minted in a number of approximately 500 pieces, and although it is more of a medal, it is referred to as a goldsmith's piece by many authors and auction houses. The obverse features a bust of the Báb on the right, the reverse a crescent moon under a star.

Emergency coins for Mantua

When 18. March 1848, the uprising against Austrian rule (also known in Italian as the "Cinque giornate di Milano") began in Milan, i.e. the Five Days of Milan), it was supported militarily and politically by King Charles Albert of Sardinia, who declared war on Austria. When the uprising also took place in Venice and the military pressure on the Austrian troops intensified, Field Marshal Radetzky was forced towho was suppressing the rebellion with his troops in the area, was forced to retreat to defensive positions in four fortresses known as the Quadrilateral. These were the forts at Verona, Peschiera (the only one to fall on 30 May 1848) Legnago and Mantova. The siege and war operations in the area disrupted the local economy and caused a shortage of currency. In July 1848 a provisional mint was set up in Mantova by the Austrian garrison. Requisitions from the church and the population provided the silver needed to mint denominations of 3 and 20 kreutzers and ½ thaler (gold piece). Peter Jaeckel, in his Die Münzprägungen des Hauses Habsburg 1780-1918, states that these coins were to be minted in 3,947 gold pieces, 7,799 twenties and 631 groschen (3 kreutzers). All denominations are marked with the G.M. mark below the bust of the monarch. The 20 kreuzers and ½ thalers also bear a small Vergilian swan mark between the mintmark and the portrait. The meaning of the G.M mark is unclear, and the possibility of the abbreviation Gorzkowski Mantova (after the Austrian general Karl von Gorzowski, who succeeded in defending the town) has been suggested, but it is more likely to be Governo Militare (military administration). Today these curious coins are very rare and fetch staggering sums at auction.

The small variety of government issues of Ferdinand I. Good is balanced by the wide variety of banknotes produced during the revolutionary period, which are listed in this article only as official ones. Indeed, the two years of the Revolution gave rise to countless emergency payments and vouchers that would be sufficient for a scholarly publication.

Shortly after Ferdinand's abdication, the new Emperor Franz Joseph I. In 1857, a new Austrian currency based on gold was introduced, replacing the conventional currency and introducing the decimal system.

The impact of the Industrial Revolution and more efficient technology allowed the creation of fully modern coins, which are a window into the complex times that shaped modern Europe. Like the coins of Ferdinand's father Francis, their historical significance and easy availability have made them popular with collectors, not least treasure hunters.

The next installment of our Treasure Hunters column will take us back to the final days of the Holy Roman Empire, the chaos of the Napoleonic Wars, and the centuries of thethe bankruptcy of the newly formed Austrian Empire - events that directly shaped the form of the currency we collect and find with metal detectors today.

Treasure Hunter Highlight - or the best of Ferdinand V.

1848 Vienna ducat by CRiss23

• The first coins of the new year

½ thaler 1846 with countermark by pukas

• Coins

Kremnica 20 Krejcar 1840 by volodo

• Beautiful 20

Nice field 5 krejcar by Markus.x

• Yesterday's field small my premiere

Revolutionary 2 krejcar 1848 in beautiful preservation by user Venda17

• Two Krejcar