Drie kreuzer, noodmunt uit Praag op naam van Maria Theresia, gelagen tijdens het beleg 1754

This is a Drie Kreuzer, an emergency coin made anonymously in Prague, likely sometime in the mid-18th century. It was made during a siege and is named after Maria Theresa. Coins are fascinating cultural artifacts. The images and inscriptions on coins, though small, were carefully designed to convey power, legitimacy, and economic stability. In times of crisis, like a siege, regular channels of minting and distribution could break down. Emergency coins like this one were often made from whatever metal was available, sometimes crudely, but they still carried symbolic weight. The very act of producing coinage during a siege was a statement of defiance and resilience. By studying coins like this, and the historical records that surround them, we gain insight into not just the economic conditions of the time, but also the political and social stresses experienced by people living through conflict.