Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel 1572 1/2 thaler
This specimen was lot 73192 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, February 2023), where it sold for $384. The catalog description[1] noted, "GERMANY. Brunswick-Luneburg: Wolfenbuttel. 1/2 "Light" Taler, 1572. Goslar Mint. Julius. PCGS VF-35. A quality example of this popular type, the present example--remaining entirely original with an enticing tone--features not one, but three wildmen, with one carrying the characteristic candle of the "licht" type. From the Robert C. Knepper Collection." This type was struck 1570-82. While it is somewhat available, it is less common than the earlier half thalers of Heinrich IX (KM MB95). The "light" in the nickname refers to the lamp in the wild man's hand, not the weight.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver.
Catalog reference: KM MB136; Welter-585.
- 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]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, February 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, featuring the David Sterling Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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