Hungary 1577-KB thaler Dav-8059
This specimen was lot 3153 in Sincona Auction 101 (Zürich, October 2025), where it sold for 1,500 CHF (about US$2,261 including buyers' fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"RDR / ÖSTERREICH Maximilian II. 1564-1576. Taler 1577 KB, Kremnitz. Posthume Prägung. Sehr selten. Sehr schön. (Holy Roman Empire, Maximilian II, 1564-76, thaler of 1577, Kremnitz mint, posthumous strike. Very rare, Very Fine.)"
Two very similar thalers were struck in Kremnitz in Hungary for Maximilian II; Dav-8058, with a small bust of the king, and Dav-8059, shown here, with the king's bust breaking thru the ring on the obverse. The confusion comes from the dates in Davenport, who states 1573-76 for Dav-8058 and 1577-78 for Dav-8059. The Hapsburg ruler styled himself king of Hungary but actually ruled only a slice near the Austrian border, the remainder being divided between the Ottoman Turks and the prince of Transylvania.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen 28.67 g.
Catalog reference: KM MB243, Huszar 979. Voglhuber 67/II. Dav-8059.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1484-1600, Frankfurt: Numismatischer Verlag, 1977.
- Nicol, N. Douglas, Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of German Coins, 1501-Present, 3rd ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, SINCONA Auction 101: World Coins, Medals and Banknotes, Swiss Confederate Coins, Medals and Banknotes, Shooting Coins and Medals, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2025.
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