Austria 1588 1/2 thaler

Künker sale 406, lot 4454

This specimen was lot 4454 in Künker sale 406 (Osnabrück, March 2024), where it sold for €1,500 (about US$1,968 including buyer's fees). The catalog description^[1] noted,

"RÖMISCH-DEUTSCHES REICH, Erzherzog Karl, 1564-1590. 1/2 Reichstaler 1588, Graz. RR Hübsche Patina, fast vorzüglich. (Austria, archduke Charles, 1564-90, half thaler of 1588, Graz mint. Very rare, handsome patina, about extremely fine.)"

Many of the early half thalers are much rarer than the accompanying thalers such as Dav-8127.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: silver, this specimen 14.06 g.

Catalog reference: M. z. A. S. 74.

Source:

• 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, Katalog 406: Gold Coins | Coins and Medals from the Medieval and Modern Times, a. o. Löwenstein-Wertheim | German Coins after 1871, a. o. Patterns from the Coenen Collection, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2024.

Link to:

• 1557 half thaler, Hall mint
• 1559 half thaler, Kuttenberg mint
• 1588 weissgroschen, Kuttenberg mint
• 1588 ducat, Prague mint
• 1589 thaler, Graz mint
• Coins and currency dated 1588