Hesse-Cassel 1841 5 thaler Fr-1295
This specimen was lot 2443 in Künker sale 439 (Osnabrück, March 2026), where it sold for €1,200 (about US$1,651 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"HESSEN-KASSEL, LANDGRAFSCHAFT, SEIT 1803 KURFÜRSTENTUM Wilhelm II. und Friedrich Wilhelm, 1832-1847. 5 Taler 1841. GOLD. Sehr schön +. (electorate of Hesse-Cassel, William II and Frederick William, 1832-47, five thalers of 1841. Very fine or better.)"
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 1834-45.
Recorded mintage: 16,390 including the ten thaler.
Specification: 6.65 g, 0.900 fine gold, this specimen 6,61 g.
Catalog reference: KM 591, Divo/S. 131; Fr-1295; Schl. 476.
- 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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