It was named after the Virgin Mary who was depicted on the reverse side.
The first coins were made of 8-lot silver; 80 being struck from 1 gross Cologne Mark.
The fine weight decreased in the course of the 16th century;[2] already around 1550 the fineness had been reduced to about half:[1] The knightly estates of the Lower Saxon Circle, which were entrusted with coin supervision, followed this development.
The Meissen Groschen gained influence through the debasement of the Mariengroschen.
[3] In the Kingdom of Hanover Mariengroschen were last minted in 1816-1820 as Convention coins;[4] the Duchy of Brunswick minted the Mariengroschen at five lots until 1834; Schaumburg-Lippe until 1821 with 1/4 fineness.