Austria (1531-47) 1/4 thaler
This specimen was lot 4659 in Künker sale 441 (Osnabrück, March 2026), where it sold for €3,000 (about US$4,127 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"RÖMISCH-DEUTSCHES REICH, Ferdinand I., 1522-1558-1564. 1/4 Taler o. J., Linz. RR Hübsche Patina, sehr schön. Aus der Sammlung Kommerzialrat Dr. Herbert Wenzel, Wien. Erworben 1952 von Hernfeld, Genf (vorher von der Münzen-Handlung Wilh. Trinks, Wien). (Holy Roman Empire, Ferdinand I, 1522-1558-1564, undated quarter thaler, Linz mint. Very rare, handsome patina, very fine.)"
This particular type is a very early quarter thaler, and is a product of the Linz mint. This coin is undated but is likely from Ferdinand's tenure as king of Rome (1531-58) but issued before he adopted a beard in 1548. It is very similar to this quarter thaler from Vienna but has different arms at the bottom of the reverse and a different privy mark at the top.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen 7,14 g.
Catalog reference: Markl 440.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Frühjahrs-Auktion 441: Orders and Decorations from the Estate of Wilhelm, Duke of Bavaria (1752–1837), among others | Coins and Medals from the Middle Ages and Modern times, particularly Denmark, Habsburg, Norway, and Saxony, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2026.
Links: