Halberstadt 1540 thaler Dav-9210
This specimen was lot 941 in Jean Elsen sale 165 (Brussels, June 2026), where it sold for €360 (about US$496 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ALLEMAGNE, HALBERSTADT, Évêché, Albert de Brandebourg, administrateur (1513-1545), AR Taler, 1540. D/ Armoiries. R/ Saint Étienne deb. à g., ten. une palme. Légères traces de corrosion au droit. Très Beau à Superbe. (Germany, bishopric of Halberstadt, administered by Albert of Brandenburg, 1513-45, silver thaler of 1540. Obverse: arms; reverse: St. Etienne standing, holding a palm branch. Light traces of corrosion on the obverse. Very Fine - Extremely Fine.)"
Albrecht, who was already in debt for his seats as archbishop of Magdeburg and administrator of Halberstadt, took out a loan to finance the fees he paid the pope for the throne of Mainz. He attempted to pay off the loan by selling indulgences, raising the ire of an obscure monk named Martin Luther. The last bishop of Halberstadt resigned in 1479, the diocese being ruled by administrators thereafter. The job was the property of the Hohenzollerns 1513-66. The diocese converted to Lutheranism in 1540 and was administered by Protestants until its annexation by Brandenburg in 1648. This type is listed for 1536-44 and, tho expensive, is the most available thaler of the sixteenth century from this locale.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen 28,22 g.
Catalog reference: KM MB16, B.B.B. 40.15; Schulten 1035; Dav-9210.
- Davenport, John S., German Talers, 1500-1600, Frankfurt am Main, Numismatischer Verlag P. N. Schulten, 1979.
- Nicol, N. Douglas, Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of German Coins, 1501-Present, 3rd ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 165, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2026.
Link to:
- Magdeburg 1538 thaler Dav-9433, Albert of Brandenburg
- 1538 thaler
- 1541 thaler
- Coins and currency dated 1540