Solidus

In 1596, Friedrich Kettler (1587-1642) and Wilhelm Kettler (1587-1616) split the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, with Wilhelm getting Courland and Friedrich getting Semigallia. While the coins of each Duke would have been minted for their respective areas, the schillings of Friedrich and Wilhelm are impossible to distinguish. Coins from 1596 have the two last digits of the date separated by the monogram; all other years have the digits of the date located in the obverse legend. The exact lettering of the surrounding legend may vary. 1596: 1) SOLI · DVCVM · CV · E · SE / MON · ARG · DVCVM · CV · E · SE 1600: 1) SOLIDVS · NOV · CVR · & · SE · 1600 / MONETA · DVCVM · CVR · ET · SE 1600 (missing 1 in date): 1) SOLIDVS · NOV · CVR · & · SE · 600 / MONETA · DVCVM · CVRL · ET · SEM 2) SOLIDVS · NOV · CVR · & · SE · 600 / MONETA · DVCVM · CVRL · ET · SE · 3) SOLIDVS · NOV · CVR · & · SE · 600 / MONETA · DVCVM · CVRL · & · SE 4) SOLIDVS · NOV · CVR · & · SE · 600 / MONETA · DVCVM · CVR · ET · SE After 1601, significant changes were made to the legends of the schillings