Like the pound, the mark in the early modern period was (1) a unit of mass, (2) a counting unit, and (3) a minted coin.

(1) As a unit of mass, the mark was also the basis of coinage systems (Weights and measures). In Central Europe, the Cologne Mark (c. 233 g) [9] gained general acceptance over other regional mark weights like the Nuremberg Mark (c. 255 g) and the Vienna Mark (c. 280 g), and the Esslingen Reichsmünzordnung (Imperial Coinage Ordinance) of 1524 declared it the basic coin weight of the Holy Roman Empire. Standard mark weights were available at the office…