Brandenburg 1630 1/2 thaler
The first specimen was lot 1039 in Sincona sale 50 (Zürich, October 2018), where it sold for 11,000 CHF (about US$13,268 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"Brandenburg-Preussen, seit 1417 Kurfürstentum. Georg Wilhelm, 1619-1640. 1/2 Taler 1630, Königsberg. Sogenannter Spruchhalbtaler. Slg. Marienburg -. Slg. Henckel -. Von grösster Seltenheit. Kleiner Schrötlingsfehler und etwas Belag. Vorzüglich. Ein Exemplar dieses Halbtalers 1630 liegt in Berlin, so handelt es sich vermutlich um das zweite bekannte Exemplar und das einzig im Handel befindliche. (Germany, Electorate of Brandenburg, George William, 1619-40, "truth" half thaler of 1630, Königsberg mint. Of the highest rarity, Minor flan defect and some spots, Extremely fine.)"
The second specimen was lot 3717 in Künker sale 335 (Osnabrück, Germany, March 2020), where it sold for €6,000 (about US$7,852 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[2] noted,
"BRANDENBURG-PREUSSEN, BRANDENBURG, MARKGRAFSCHAFT, SEIT DEM 14. JAHRHUNDERT KURFÜRSTENTUM, Georg Wilhelm, 1619-1640. 1/2 Reichstaler 1630, Königsberg. Von großer Seltenheit. Nur wenige Exemplare im Handel bekannt. Randfehler, sehr schön. (Germany, electorate of Brandenburg, George William, 1619-40, half thaler of 1630, Königsberg mint. Very rare, unpublished date. Rim defects, very fine.)"
This type is listed in the SCWC for 1627-29, 1634 but not 1630. This issue, tho scarce, is the most available. The half thaler was abandoned completely in the 1670's when the gulden (⅔ thaler) and half gulden (⅓ thaler) became popular. George William spent most of his reign in Königsberg in Prussia. His subjects, left to the mercies of the pillaging armies of the Thirty Years War, were likely not grateful.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, the first specimen 14.25 g, the second specimen 14.20 g.
Catalog reference: Olding 28; KM 124.1.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, Sincona Jubilee Auction 50, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2018.
- [2]Künker Münzauktionen und Goldhandel, Catalog 335: Bracteates from Upper Swabia and the area of the Lake Constance | Coins and Medals from Medieval and Modern Times, a. o. the Dr. Karl Walter Bach Collection of coins of the Austrian nobility, Special collections of Bavaria, Lubeck, Wurttemberg as well as siege coins from the Eberhard Link Collection. Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2020.
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