Hungary Leopold I AR 6 Kreuzer 1672 KB Kremnitz Patrona Hungariae Hammered

Leopold I, 6 Kreuzer, silver, reign 1657–1705, struck 1672 at Kremnitz (KB); 1.80 g; 24 mm. Obverse: LEOPOLDVS D G R I S A GE HV B REX; laureate, draped and armored bust right; value VI in a square cartouche below. Reverse: PATRONA HVNGARIAE; 1672 in legend above; Madonna seated facing on a crescent, holding the infant Christ; small Hungarian shield below, mintmark KB in field. Hammered issue on a slightly irregular flan with full legends and clear central devices. Reference: Huszár 1450.

This type belongs to the long-running “Patrona Hungariae” series struck for the Kingdom of Hungary under the Habsburgs. The reverse iconography—Mary and Child on a crescent above the Hungarian arms—affirmed the Catholic identity of the realm and the dynasty’s claim to the Hungarian crown during a period marked by conflict with the Ottoman Empire and internal uprisings. Kremnitz (Körmöcbánya) served as the principal Hungarian mint, and 6 kreuzer pieces such as this were everyday silver for regional commerce.