Schock (coin)

The schock was an historical coin of account in the Kingdom of Saxony as well as in Bohemia and Silesia.

In the Kingdom of Saxony, a distinction was made, based on the old use of the word, whereby 1 schock = 60 units:

  • 1 old shock = 60 small schockgroschen = 20 good groschen, it corresponded to 54 of a Convention guilders = 75 kreuzer;
  • 1 new or heavy schock = 60 good groschen = 3 old schocks, worth 154 of a Convention gulden = 225 kreuzers.

There were also different units of currency called the schock in Bohemia and Silesia (Czech kopa):

  • 1 old Bohemian schock = 60 Böhmen, worth 32 Speciesthaler = 3 Convention guilders = 180 kreuzers;
  • 1 new or small Bohemian schock' = 40 Böhmen = 23 old bohemian schocks, whereby 1 Speciesthaler = 2 Convention guilders = 60 double kreuzers;
  • 1 schock Gröschel = 60 Gröschel = 14 old Bohemian schocks, corresponding to 34 Convention guilders = 45 kreuzers = 180 pfennigs.

A Böhmen (lit.: "Bohemia") was the name of the groschen in Prague and Bohemia; a Gröschel was also called a Fledermaus ("bat").