Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel (15)99 thaler Dav-9094
This specimen was lot 3499 in Künker Auction 426 (Osnabrück, July 2025), where it sold for €2,900 (about US$4,107 including buyers' fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRAUNSCHWEIG-WOLFENBÜTTEL, FÜRSTENTUM Heinrich Julius, 1589-1613. Reichstaler 1599, Goslar. Pelikantaler. Hübsche Patina, min. Prägeschwäche, vorzüglich. (Germany, duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Henry Julius, 1589-1613, "pelican" thaler of 1599, Goslar mint. Handsome patina, slightly weakly struck, extremely fine.)
Das vorliegende Stück gehört zu der Reihe der sogenannten emblematischen Taler, die auf die Streitigkeiten des Herzogs mit einigen landständischen Adeligen Bezug nehmen. Der Herzog ist auf diesem Taler als Pelikan dargestellt, der sich für seine Jungen, d. h. seine Untertanen, opfert. (This piece belongs to the series of so-called emblematic thalers, which refer to the duke's disputes with some of the landed nobles. On this thaler, the duke is depicted as a pelican sacrificing himself for his young, i.e., his subjects.)"
The plethora of thalers issued by the duke in the 1590's can be confusing to sort out. The issues of 1599 we list as follows:
- KM MB292/Dav-9085: St. Andrew mine, 1597-99
- KM MB298/Dav-9078: "Truth"
- KM MB299/Dav-9086: "Truth"
- KM MB300/Dav-9092: "Wasp"
- KM MB301/Dav-9093: "Wasp"
- KM MB302/Dav-9094: "Pelican" (shown here)
- KM MB303/Dav-9095: "Pelican"
- KM MB304/Dav-9096: "Harmony"
- KM MB305/Dav-9096C: "Harmony"
- KM MB306 struck using half thaler dies
The "Truth" and "Wasp" thalers were directed at his opponents in the Brunswick nobility who were giving him trouble.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen 29,11 g.
Catalog reference: KM MB302, Dav-9094; Welter 631.
- Davenport, John S., German Talers, 1500-1600, Frankfurt am Main, Numismatischer Verlag P. N. Schulten, 1979.
- 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, eLive Premium Auction 426: European and German Coins and Medals from the 16th to the 20th century, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2025.
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