Brunswick 1628 thaler Dav-5127
The first specimen was lot 4350 in Sincona sale 4 (Zürich, October 2011) where it sold for 800 CHF (about US$1,064 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"DEUTSCHLAND Braunschweig, Stadt Taler 1628. Behelmtes Wappen. Rv. Gekrönter, nimbierter Doppeladler mit Reichsapfel auf der Brust worin die Wertzahl 24. Fast vorzüglich-vorzüglich. City of Brunswick, thaler of 1628. Obverse: helmeted arms; reverse: crowned, nimbate double-headed eagle with imperial orb on breast, numeral "24" within. Extremely fine to good extremely fine)."
The second specimen was lot 4094 in Künker sale 441 (Osnabrück, March 2026), where it sold for €900 (about US$1,238 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[2] noted,
"BRAUNSCHWEIG, STADT Reichstaler (24 Groschen) 1628, mit Titel Ferdinands II. R Feine Patina, kl. Schrötlingsfehler am Rand, fast vorzüglich. Exemplar der Lagerliste Jean Elsen 229, Brüssel 2004, Nr. 1390. (city of Brunswick, thaler or 24 groschen of 1628, struck in the name of Ferdinand II. Rare, fine patina, edge defects, about extremely fine.)"
The city of Brunswick was the capital of the dukes of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel yet simultaneously claimed the mint right and struck an extensive series of coinage until 1678. This type, issued 1624-33 in considerable numbers, is theoretically a 24 groschen (hence the "24") but it seems unlikely the locals called it anything other than a thaler.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, the first specimen 29,20 g. the second specimen is 28,63 g.
Catalog reference: Dav-5127, KM 30.2. The second specimen is Jesse 136.
- [1]Numismatic Coins, Medals & Banknotes: Auction 4, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2011.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- Davenport, John S., German Church and City Talers, 1600-1700, Galesburg, IL, 1967.
- [2]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Frühjahrs-Auktion 441: Orders and Decorations from the Estate of Wilhelm, Duke of Bavaria (1752–1837), among others | Coins and Medals from the Middle Ages and Modern times, particularly Denmark, Habsburg, Norway, and Saxony, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2026.
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