Bohemia 1585 1/2 groschen KM-MB241
This specimen was lot 4693 in Künker sale 441 (Osnabrück, March 2026), where it sold for €55 (about US$76 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"RÖMISCH-DEUTSCHES REICH, Rudolf II., 1576-1612. Maley Groschen 1585, Joachimstal. Münzmeister Paul Hofmann. Fast vorzüglich. Aus der Sammlung Kommerzialrat Dr. Herbert Wenzel, Wien. (Holy Roman Empire, Rudolf II, 1576-1612, maley groschen of 1585, Joachimsthal mint. About extremely fine.)"
The maley groschen was struck at several mints in Bohemia during the long reign of Rudolf II: KM MB240 (Prague), KM MB241 (Joachimstal, struck 1577-1612 and undated), KM MB242 (Budweis), KM MB250 (Kuttenberg), KM MB288, KM MB289 klippe. It was worth half a groschen ("maley" being Czech for "small") or 1/40 thaler. The star and crescent over the lion's head is the Joachimsthal mintmark.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 0.91 g, silver, this specimen 0,90 g.
Catalog reference: KM MB241, Dietiker 273; Halacka 403.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- Nicol, N. Douglas, Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of German Coins, 1501-Present, 3rd ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- [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.
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