Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel 1578 1/2 thaler
This specimen was lot 73637 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, November 2023), where it sold for $312. The catalog description[1] noted, "GERMANY. Brunswick-Luneburg: Wolfenbuttel. 1/2 "Light" Taler, 1578. Goslar Mint. Julius. PCGS EF-45. Surprisingly crisply executed, and an extremely early use of the Wild Man motif and a popular type. The surfaces are generally a lustrous steel gray with lovely glimpses of cobalt in the protected areas. Charming in its execution style and desirable. From the Robert C. Knepper Collection. Includes ticket from Kuenker." This half "light" thaler (referring to the lamp in the wild man's hand and not the weight) was struck 1570-82 and is scarce.
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, November 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction - Ancient & World Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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