Halberstadt 1541 thaler Dav-9210
This specimen was lot 1400 in Sincona sale 18 (Zürich, May 2014), where it sold for CHF 1,300 (about US$1,713 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"Taler 1541. Halberstadt. Fast vorzüglich. (bishopric of Halberstadt, thaler of 1541, choice 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 28.94 g.
Catalog reference: KM MB16, Besser/Brämer/Bürger 40.16., Dav-9210.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- 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]Numismatic Coins, Medals, & Banknotes: Auction 18, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2014.
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