Hesse-Cassel 1711 thaler Dav-2292
This specimen was lot 932 in Künker sale 263 (Osnabrück, June 2015), where it sold for €4,200 (about US$5,426 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"HESSEN-KASSEL, LANDGRAFSCHAFT, Karl, 1670-1730, bis 1675 unter Vormundschaft seiner Mutter Hedwig Sophie von Brandenburg. Reichstaler 1711, Münzstätte vermutlich Kassel, auf den Tod seiner Gemahlin Maria Amalia, Tochter des Herzogs Jakob von Kurland. RR Sehr attraktives Exemplar mit herrlicher Patina, vorzüglich. (Germany, landgraviate of Hesse-Cassel, Charles, 1670-1730, until 1675 under the regency of his mother Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg, thaler of 1711, mint probably Kassel, on the death of his wife Maria Amalia, daughter of Jacob, the Duke of Courland. Very rare, very attractive example with gorgeous toning, extremely fine.)"
The next issue of thalers was in 1733. Karl died in 1730 after a reign of nearly sixty years and was succeeded by his son Friedrich, who was king of Sweden since 1720. His wife, Maria Amalia, who is commemorated here, had fourteen children and ten miscarriages. Her death was also noted on a half thaler (KM 355). Wikipedia comments,
"The Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel were famous for renting out their army to European Great Powers during the 17th and 18th centuries. It was a widespread practice at the time for small countries to rent out troops to larger countries in exchange for subsidies. ...Hesse-Kassel took the practice to an extreme, maintaining 5.3% of its population under arms in 1730. This was a higher proportion than even Prussia, a country that was so heavily militarized that it was described as 'not a country with an army, but an army with a country'. The Hessian army served as a readily available reserve for the Great Powers. During the American War of Independence, 25% of the British army consisted of troops rented from German princes, half of whom came from Hesse-Kassel and nearby Hesse-Hanau."
Recorded mintage: 400.
Specification: silver, this specimen 29,10 g.
Catalog reference: Schütz 1528; Slg. Minus/Preiss 5093; KM 356 or 357, Dav-2292.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- Davenport, John S., German Talers, 1700-1800, 2nd Ed., London: Spink & Son, 1965.
- [1]Künker Münzauktionen und Goldhandel, Catalog 263, The Friedrich Popken collection of gold and silver coinages | Coins and Medals from Medieval and Modern Times, a. o. the collection of Ernst Otto Horn, part III, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2015.
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