Duchy of Warsaw 1812 1/6 Thaler

This 1/6 Thaler from the Duchy of Warsaw was struck in 1812, during the height of Napoleon's disastrous Russian campaign, using silver likely sourced from melted-down coins of occupied territories.

That makes it a rare survivor of wartime exigencies, with its design featuring a Polish eagle on the obverse and the denomination on the reverse—simple, functional, and devoid of the bombast seen on some contemporary issues. The coin's edge is reeded, a practical measure against clipping in an era when silver was scarcer than reliable allies.

Mintage figures are murky; records from the Warsaw mint were probably destroyed in later conflicts, so we can't pin down exact numbers. What we do know is that these fractions circulated widely in a puppet state struggling for legitimacy.

Production ceased abruptly after Napoleon's retreat, leaving few specimens in decent condition. As for humor, calling this coin "Napoleon's pocket change" sums it up.