Hannover 1840-A thaler Dav-669
This specimen was lot 116 in Künker sale 400 (Berlin, February 2024), where it sold for €15,000 (about US$19,460 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"HANNOVER, KÖNIGREICH, Ernst August, 1837-1851. Taler 1840, A. Mit Angabe FEINES - SILBER; Kopf r.//Gekröntes vierfeldiges Wappen mit aufgelegtem Mittelschild. Von größter Seltenheit. Nur wenige Exemplare bekannt. Kl. Kratzer, vorzüglich. Mit altem Unterlagszettel der Münzhandlung Dr. W. Wruck, Berlin. (Germany, kingdom of Hannover, Ernest Augustus, 1837-51, thaler of 1840, with legend "Fine Silver". Obverse: head right; reverse: crowned and quartered arms with mantled escutcheon. Extremely rare, only a few examples known, light scratches, extremely fine. With old tag from W. Wruck, Berlin.)"
On William IV's death in 1837, the connection between Hannover and England was severed as Victoria became queen of England and Ernst August became king of Hannover. His tyrannical ways annoyed his subjects who nearly toppled him in the revolution of 1848. Several different thalers were struck in 1840: Dav-667 has the Order of the Garter around the arms; Dav-771 lacks "FEINES - SILBER" on the reverse.
Recorded mintage: unknown but few.
Specification: 16.82 g, 0.993 fine silver, this specimen 16,82 g.
Catalog reference: KM 191, AKS 101; Dav-669; Kahnt 227; Thun 159.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns and Talers, Since 1800, 2nd Ed., London: Spink & Son, 1964.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Katalog 400: Selected löser of the Dukes of Guelph from the Friedrich Popken Collection | Numismatic treasures from the Medieval and Modern Times, a. o. "multiple portraits" from a Westphalian private collection, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2024.
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