Cleve 1502 hornsgulden
This specimen was lot 1013 in CNG Triton XXIX (New York, January 2026), where it sold for $15,925. The catalog description[1] noted, "GERMANY, Kleve (Duchy). Johann II. 1481-1521. AR Hornsgulden. Kleve mint. Dated 1502. Ornately crested helmet over coat-of-arms / Ornately crested helmet over coat-of-arms. Toned. In NGC encapsulation 8420735-001, graded AU 53. Extremely rare. Only three Halbhornsgulden known to Noss, with no mention of a heavier type or example, such as this coin. Top Pop. NGC labels this a "1/2 Gulden," comparing it to a later weight standard. As Noss describes the type as "Halber Hornsgulden – 6 Stüber brabantisch," with a weight of 7.59 g, we must assume that this example, at double weight, would be a full Hornsgulden." The SCWC mentions a 6 stüber (KM MB40) with a 7.6 g weight, which we presume is the same coin noted by Noss.
The affairs of the dukes of Cleve, Berg and Jülich are tangled even by German standards as the three separate lines intermarried and quarreled. Eventually the collateral lines fell extinct and one lord ruled them all, which by then also included Mark and Upper Gelderland. This line in turn fell extinct about 1609 and the lands were claimed by the elector of Brandenburg and the elector of the Palatinate. The war they fought over it was one of the side conflicts of the Thirty Years War but eventually they partitioned it.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen 34 mm diameter, 14.51 g, 2 h axis.
Catalog reference: Cf. Noss, Kleve 206 (for half denomination; same obv. die as illustration); cf. Historiches Museum Frankfurt M17625 (Half Horngulden; same dies).
- Nicol, N. Douglas, Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of German Coins, 1501-Present, 3rd ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- [1]Gasvoda, Michael, Victor England, Eric McFadden, Dave Michaels, Bill Dalzell and Lance Hickman, Triton XXIX, Lancaster, PA: Classical Numismatic Group, LLC, 2025.
Link to: