Arenberg 1785 thaler Dav-1915
This specimen was lot 98 in Künker sale 293 (Osnabrück, Germany, July 2017), where it sold for €1,100 (about US$1,483 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ARENBERG, HERZOGTUM, Ludwig Engelbert, 1778-1801. Konv.-Taler 1785, Köln. R Min. Schrötlingsfehler, sehr schön-vorzüglich. (Germany, duchy of Arenburg, Louis Engelbert, 1778-1801, convention thaler of 1785, Cologne mint. Minimal hairlines, very fine to extremely fine.)"
This is one of two thalers for the 18th century. This one is rare, the other (Dav-1914) is very rare. Arenberg (also spelled Aremberg) was a tiny duchy in the Rhineland, wedged between the archbishopric of Trier and the duchy of Julich. The duchy was occupied by the French in 1796, along with the rest of the Rhineland, and annexed by Napoleon in 1801. At the Congress of Vienna, the Rhineland was awarded to Prussia and the ducal family dispossessed of its sovereign rights. The family resides today in Belgium.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 28.06 g, 0.833 fine silver.
Catalog reference: Dav-1915; Divo 24, KM 9.
- [1]Künker Münzauktionen und Goldhandel, Katalog 293: Münzen aus Mittelalter und Neuzeit u. a. die westfälischen Privatsammlungen Werner Bröker und Bernd Terletzki, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2017.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
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