Germany Rostock Pfennig 1705 to 1843

The griffin has the body of a lion, and the head, wings, legs, and talon of an eagle. Lions are the king of beasts and eagles are the king of birds, so the griffin is a powerful and majestic creature.

Before unification into a powerful empire under Otto von Bismarck, the German States were separate kingdoms with their own kings and their own coins. The northern city of Rostock held such a position and the griffin was part of its imperial insignia.

Small one pfennig coins were minted for quite a while with the griffin on the front. Just about all of them you find today are in less-than-perfect condition. The one in our photo comes from Coin House SESAM Basel in Riehen, Switzerland where it is on sale for 13 euros, about 17 US dollars.

The catalogs list the following values for coins free of scratches, stains, corrosion, cleanings, and other forms of damage:

worn: $8 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $35
well preserved: $75

Coins dated after 1800 are worth about one-half of these values.
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