Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel 1658-HS thaler Dav-6341
The first specimen was lot 72186 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, May 2023), where it sold for $720. The catalog description[1] noted, "GERMANY. Brunswick-Luneburg: Wolfenbuttel. "Houseboy" Taler, 1658. Zellerfeld Mint. August 'the Younger'. PCGS AU-55. A handsome and limitedly circulated example, this pleasing piece delivers enticing eye appeal and charm." The second specimen was lot 3555 in Künker Auction 426 (Osnabrück, July 2025), where it sold for €240 (about US$340 including buyers' fees). The catalog description[2] noted,
"BRAUNSCHWEIG-WOLFENBÜTTEL, FÜRSTENTUM August der Jüngere, 1635-1666. Reichstaler 1658, Zellerfeld. Hausknechtstaler. Fast sehr schön. (Germany, duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Augustus the Younger, 1635-66, "houseboy" thaler of 1658, Zellerfeld mint. About very fine.)"
The "houseboy" thaler acquired its nickname because the wild man appears to be dusting his forest with a broom. This type was struck 1653-65 and is among the more common thalers of the period. Duke August II ruled 1634-66.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 29 g, 0.875 fine silver, 42 mm diameter, the second specimen 28,46 g.
Catalog reference: Dav-6341; KM-442.1; Welter-822.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Davenport, John S., German Secular Talers, 1600-1700, Frankfurt: Numismatischer Verlag, 1976.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, May 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, Featuring the Richard Elliott Collection of Hooknecks, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
- [2]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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