Prague Groschen Metal coins for gaming

Prague Groschen

Metal coins in silver, patinated silver, and gold variants used for gaming.

Diameter: 30 mm. It is a large coin – for reference, the Czech fifty-crown coin has a diameter of 27.5 mm, and 2 euros are only 25 mm.

Material: Metal (zinc) alloy

The Prague Groschen coin is a historical replica – Prague Groschen were widely used as a reliable medieval silver coin in Central Europe during the 14th and 15th centuries.

The historical version of the Prague Groschen is, of course, the silver one. The other colored variants are created to facilitate the creation of currency systems during games (although it is possible to combine Prague Groschen with other coins). Other colored variants, such as patinated silver, copper, and patinated copper, can be customized for larger orders.

The Prague Groschen coin was first minted in 1300 by Czech king Wenceslaus II. In that year, silver veins were discovered near Prague (in Kutná Hora), leading to silver mining. At that time, it was the largest silver mine in the world, enabling the king to carry out a coinage reform. During the 13th century, the most common coin in medieval Europe was the denarius. Their quality varied, and by that time, their weight was below 1g, often with silver purity below 50%. Wenceslaus II drew inspiration from Tours, where the French king minted a coin called “gros tournois.” The name itself comes from “large denarius,” and later only the “large” (gross) remained. The groschen was a large and heavy coin (30mm, 3.5-3.7g of silver) with a high purity of around 93-95% silver content. Due to the wealth of the Kutná Hora mines, the groschen quickly became the standard silver coin in Central Europe.

Other cities, especially in Germany, minted groschen coins after Prague, but the Prague Groschen remained the most reliable and valuable. For example, the exchange rate was set so that one Prague Groschen had the value of two Meissen groschen. To put it in perspective, the value of the Prague Groschen could be imagined as approximately 10-20 euros in today’s world. There were also smaller coins – half-groschen were minted, old denarii remained in circulation with a value of about a quarter of a Prague Groschen, and new small silver coins (parve) were minted, with one Prague Groschen containing 12 parve. The groschen became the counting unit, and wages were usually calculated in Prague Groschen. Everyday purchases were converted to groschen and its fractions.

If you wonder why gold coins did not become popular, it is because their price was too high. If we imagine the value of a golden florin of John of Luxembourg or a golden ducat of Charles IV, it would be around 500-1,000 EUR. Hence, most people never held a gold coin in their hands. Gold coins were used to buy houses, estates, or other truly expensive items and were the currency of the nobility. Silver coins were much more suitable for everyday life.

During the Hussite Wars, the minting of groschen ceased, and it was not resumed until George of Poděbrady. However, by that time, the weight of the groschen had decreased to about 2.5g, and its silver content was only around 50% and later even less. From the mid-16th century, groschen coins were already significantly devalued, and when a new coin, the silver thaler (tolar, later a dollar) , was introduced, the exchange rate between the two coins was set at 30 groschen for 1 thaler. Overseas discoveries caused a massive inflation of gold and silver, and the purchasing power of groschen rapidly declined. The minting of groschen coins ceased completely with a currency reform in 1644.

Originally, we created these coins for our games (http://cestycasem.cz).