Julich-Berg 1709 2/3 thaler KM-126
This specimen was lot 151 in Künker sale 400 (Berlin, February 2024), where it sold for €7,500 (about US$9,730 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"JÜLICH-BERG, HERZOGTUM, Johann Wilhelm II. 1679-1716. 2/3 Taler 1709, Düsseldorf. Geharnischtes Brustbild r. mit umgelegtem Mantel//Zwei Wappenschilde nebeneinander (der linke Schild mit den Wappen von Bayern, Jülich, Kleve, Berg und pfälzischem Mittelschild, der rechte Schild mit den Wappen von Mörs, Veldenz, Mark und Ravensberg), dazwischen mit einer Öse an einem Band befestigt der Regalienschild, umher die Kette des Hubertusordens und die Kette des Ordens vom Goldenen Vlies. RR Attraktives Exemplar mit feiner Tönung, vorzüglich. (Germany, duchy of Julich-Berg, John William II, 1679-1716, 2/3 thaler of 1709, Dusseldorf mint. Obverse: armored and mantled bust right; reverse: two coats of arms next to each other (the left shield with the coats of arms of Bavaria, Jülich, Kleve, Berg and the Palatinate escutcheon, the right shield with the coats of arms of Mörs, Veldenz, Mark and Ravensberg), with the regalia shield attached to a ribbon in between with an eyelet the chain of the Order of St. Hubert and the chain of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Very rare, attractive example with fine toning, extremely fine.)"
The native dynasty of dukes, which ruled Julich, Berg, Mark and Cleve, fell extinct in 1609. Brandenburg and Pfalz-Neuburg fought a war over the inheritance and eventually partitioned it, Julich-Berg going to Pfalz-Neuberg, which ruled it until the French Revolution. The SCWC records two different gulden for 1709: this one with the duke's mantle buttoned in front and oval shields on the reverse, and KM 127, with the duke's mantle draped over the armor and pointed shields on the reverse. Both are rare. Johann Wilhelm was also elector of the Palatinate 1690-1716 and had to bear the brunt of French attacks on the empire.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen 17.14 g.
Catalog reference: KM 126, Dav-596; Noss 842.
- Davenport, John S., Silver Gulden, 1559-1763, Frankfurt am Main, Numismatischer Verlag P. N. Schulten, 1982.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Katalog 400: Selected löser of the Dukes of Guelph from the Friedrich Popken Collection | Numismatic treasures from the Medieval and Modern Times, a. o. "multiple portraits" from a Westphalian private collection, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2024.
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