Groschen

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The groschen was the (sometimes colloquial) name for a coin used in various German speaking states. The name derives from the Italian denaro grosso, or large penny, combined with the German diminutive suffix "-chen".

[edit] Germany

In Germany, the name groschen replaced schilling as the common name for a 12 pfennig coin. In the 18th Century it was used predominantly in the northern states as a coin worth 1/24 of a reichsthaler (equal to 1/32 of a conventionsthaler). In the 19th century, beginning in 1821 in Prussia, a new currency system was introduced in which the groschen (often called the silbergroschen or neugroschen to distinguish it from older groschen) was worth 1/30 of a thaler. Following German unification and decimalization, the groschen was replaced by the 10 pfennig coin and groschen remained a nickname for the 10 pfennig coin until the introduction of the euro.

[edit] Austria

Image:Austria2Grosze1925.jpg Image:Austrian 10 groschen.jpg Austria introduced the groschen in 1924 as the subdivision of the schilling. It was restored, along with the schilling, in 1945 and continued in use until the introduction of the euro.