Hesse-Cassel 1851-CP 5 thaler Fr-1298
This specimen was lot 1526 in Künker Auction 425 (Osnabrück, July 2025), where it sold for €44,000 (about US$6,231 including buyers' fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"DEUTSCHE MÜNZEN UND MEDAILLEN · HESSEN-KASSEL, LANDGRAFSCHAFT, SEIT 1803 KURFÜRSTENTUM Friedrich Wilhelm, 1847-1866. 5 Taler 1851. GOLD. Selten, besonders in dieser Erhaltung. Nur 596 Exemplare geprägt. Sehr attraktives Exemplar von polierten Stempeln, kl. Kratzer, vorzüglich/vorzüglich-Stempelglanz (Prooflike). (Germany, electorate of Hesse-Cassel, Frederick William, 1847-66, five thaler of 1851. Rare in this condition, only 596 pieces struck. Very attractive example struck using polished dies, prooflike extremely fine to uncirculated.)"
Wikipedia comments,
"In 1806, William I was dispossessed by Napoleon Bonaparte for his support of the Kingdom of Prussia in the War of the Fourth Coalition. Kassel was designated as the capital of a new Kingdom of Westphalia, where Napoleon appointed his brother Jérôme Bonaparte as king. Following Napoleon's defeat in 1813, the elector was restored. At the Congress of Vienna, a number of Napoleonic electorates were elevated to kingdoms, and William tried to secure recognition as King of the Chatti. However, he was rebuffed by the Great Powers, who listed him as a "Royal Highness" along with the other grand dukes. To secure his pre-eminence over his cousin, the Grand Duke of Hesse in the former Hesse-Darmstadt, William chose to keep his title of Prince-Elector. The rulers of the Electorate of Hesse became the only Prince-Electors in the German Confederation, even though there was no longer a Holy Roman Emperor for them to elect."
Frederick William chose the Austrian side in the war of 1866 and found his domain annexed to Prussia as a result. He died in Prague in 1875. The initials "CP" are found on the truncation of the bust.
Recorded mintage: 596.
Specification: 6.65 g, 0.900 fine gold, 23.5 mm diameter, this specimen 3,48 g.
Catalog reference: KM 619, Divo/S. 134; Fr-1298; Schl. 482.
- 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, Katalog 425: Gold coins from the Medieval and Modern Times, from the Mohr family collection, e.g. | Silver coins, e.g. highlights of medallic art | German coins after 1871, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2025.
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