Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen 1849 gulden
This specimen was lot 5282 in Künker sale 386 (Osnabrück, March 2023), where it sold for €1,100 (about US$1,422 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"HOHENZOLLERN-SIGMARINGEN, FÜRSTENTUM, Carl Anton, 1848-1849. Gulden 1849. Prachtexemplar. Feine Patina, vorzüglich-Stempelglanz. Exemplar der Auktion WAG Online 116, Februar 2021, Nr. 614. (principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Charles Anthony, 1848-49, gulden of 1849. Outstanding example, fine patina, extremely fine to uncirculated.)"
The Hohenzollerns started out in southwest Germany. A junior branch wandered off and became the Margraves of Brandenburg and eventually kings of Prussia and emperors of Germany. The senior branch abdicated in favor of the Berlin branch after the revolutions of 1848. This one year type is rather expensive.
Wikipedia comments, "Karl Anton, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1811-85) was the last prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen before the territory was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1849. Afterwards he continued to be titular prince of his house and, with the death of the last prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen in 1869, of the entire House of Hohenzollern. He served as Minister President of Prussia from 1858 to 1862. His second son, Karl, became king of Romania. The offer of the throne of Spain to his eldest son, Leopold, was one of the causes of the Franco-Prussian War....Beginning in the spring of 1848, Karl Anton conducted secret negotiations with Frederick William IV on the annexation of the principality to the Kingdom of Prussia. On 7 December 1849, Prince Karl Anton signed the state treaty with Prussia, and the solemn handover of the principality took place on 6 April 1850."
Recorded mintage: 5,000.
Specification: 10.60 g, 0.900 fine silver, this specimen 10.58 g.
Catalog reference: KM 25, AKS 19; J. 17.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- 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 386: Brakteaten | Mainz | Bibliothek Prof. Dr. Niklot Klüßendorf | Mittelalter und Neuzeit | Goldprägungen | Deutsche Münzen ab 1871, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2023.
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