Hesse-Cassel 1841 10 thaler Fr-1294
This specimen was lot 2442 in Künker sale 439 (Osnabrück, March 2026), where it sold for €2,400 (about US$3,302 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"HESSEN-KASSEL, LANDGRAFSCHAFT, SEIT 1803 KURFÜRSTENTUM Wilhelm II. und Friedrich Wilhelm, 1832-1847. 10 Taler 1841. GOLD. Sehr schön. (electorate of Hesse-Cassel, William II and Frederick William, 1832-47, ten thalers of 1841. Very fine.)"
William II succeeded his father, William I, as elector of Hesse-Cassel even though there was no longer a Holy Roman Emperor to elect. In 1841, his son Frederick William was made co-ruler for unknown reasons, possibly the result of the scandal when William married his longtime mistress, Emilie Ortlöpp. This rare type was struck 1838, 1840 and 1841.
Recorded mintage: 16,390 including the five thaler.
Specification: 13.30 g, 0.900 fine gold, this specimen 13,24 g.
Catalog reference: KM 594, Divo/S. 130; Fr-1294; Schl. 470.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- 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, Frühjahrs-Auktion 439: Gold Coins from around the world, particularly Denmark, Habsburg, Malta and Saxony | German Coins after 1871 including Coins from the Collection of Jürgen and Erika Schmidt, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2026.
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