"Käysers Ferdinandi neue Münz-Ordnung samt Valvirung der gülden und silbern Müntzen, und darauf erfolgtem Kayserl. Edict zu Augspurg, alles im Jahr 1559 auffgericht und beschlossen" (Imperial Minting Ordinance, Augsburg, 19 August 1559)

Claims Supported by This Source

1. An empire-wide minting ordinance agreed upon by Emperor Ferdinand I and the estates in Augsburg on Saturday, 19 August 1559. Based on the Cologne Mark of fine silver, the Reichsguldiner (60 Kreuzer) was to be struck at 9½ to the Mark, with a fineness of 14 Lot 16 Grän (§§2–3). Also specifies the half Guldiner (19), 10 Kreuzer (57), 5 Kreuzer (114), 2½ Kreuzer (124, 8 Lot fineness), 2 Kreuzer (155½, 8 Lot), and 1 Kreuzer (§§4–9).
2. §11: There is no obligation to accept small change of less than 5 Kreuzer in payments exceeding 25 Gulden. §33: There is no obligation to accept Pfennigs against one's will for large payments.
3. §§32–34: The Circles and monetary lords are to monitor so that small change of less than 5 Kreuzer does not "pile up and drive up [the value of] other, higher-denomination coins," and if small change accumulates, the Circle shall prohibit that monetary lord from minting for a certain period.
4. §31: Monetary lords shall not strike coins of types other than those specified in the ordinance; violation is punishable by a fine of 50 gold Marks (half to the imperial treasury, half to the Circle).
5. §§35–37: Since existing Thalers cannot be abolished immediately, they are to be valued based on the 1551 assay and circulate at 68 Kreuzer, but shall not be struck in the future. §49: Thalers struck after 1551 and found to be of low fineness relative to the new imperial coinage are to be valued at the Circle's trial of the pyx assembly.
6. §§50–54: Because large quantities of low-fineness foreign coins are being brought in and good coins are being taken out, foreign silver coins shall be demonetized six months after promulgation, and those who bring them in shall forfeit the coins, their bodies, and their property.
7. §§157–159: Each Circle shall hold a trial of the pyx assembly (Probationstag) twice a year (1 May and 1 October) and guarantee safe conduct to mint masters, wardens (Wardein), and others.
8. §§160–161: Those who "diminish, clip, weaken, wash, melt, export, recast, select by weight (Auswieger), buy up (Aufwechsler), or counterfeit" coins shall be punished in body, life, and property, with no one spared. §170: The granulation and refining (Granalieren, Seigern) of good coin is forbidden on pain of death by fire. §165: The export of unminted gold and silver and of Rhenish gold florins is forbidden.
9. §§174–176: Forbids selling, leasing, or entrusting minting rights to others, and also forbids making contracts (contracting out) with the mint master for anything other than a salary. The penalty for violation is the loss of minting rights. A mint master who undertakes a contract for profit shall be fined 10 gold Marks.
10. The edict of 29 December 1563 (p. 200) rebukes many cities for not yet having promulgated and enforced this ordinance, and for the fact that private gain and deceit involving domestic and foreign gold and silver coins were continuing as before.
11. Resolution of the 1566 Imperial Diet of Augsburg, §§147-152: Since the 1559 ordinance "had not at all achieved the required progress," and acknowledging the reality that contracts in many regions were denominated in Thalers, the Thaler is added to the imperial currency. 1 Thaler = 68 Kreuzer, 8 pieces from 1 Cologne Mark, fineness 14 Lot 4 Grän, 1 Mark of pure silver is 10 Gulden 12 Kreuzer. Half Thaler 34 Kreuzer (16 pieces), quarter Thaler 17 Kreuzer (32 pieces). §153: 2½ and 5 Kreuzer coins are abolished. §155: Acknowledges that after 1559, low-fineness Thalers and other coins were struck and issued at high values.

How to read the verification levels. "Read Through" means the source was read in its entirety. "Bibliography & Abstract Read" means the bibliographic information and abstract were confirmed. "Via Course Material" means the source was referenced through the textbook or course text. The "Text Hash" is the SHA-256 of the main text from the publisher's page, excluding tags and whitespace, used to detect if the source has been modified.