Leuchtenberg 1514 1/2 batzen KM-MB11
This specimen was lot 583 in Künker Auction 424 (Osnabrück, July 2025), where it sold for €280 (about US$397 including buyers' fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"DEUTSCHE MÜNZEN UND MEDAILLEN · LEUCHTENBERG, LANDGRAFSCHAFT Johann IV., 1487-1531. 1/2 Batzen 1514, Pfreimd. Münzmeister vermutlich Martin Lerch. Die Wappenschilde von Hals / Grünsfeld und Pfreimd in Kleeblattstellung//Bindenschild von Leuchtenberg, darüber die Jahreszahl ° I5I4 °. Von großer Seltenheit. Sehr schön. (Germany, landgraviate of Leuchtenberg, John IV, 1487-1531, half batzen of 1514, Pfreimd mint. Obverse: arms of Hals, Grünsfeld and Pfreimd in a triangle; reverse: arms of Leuchtenberg, date above. Extremely rare, very fine.)"
The landgrave of Leuchtenberg was a considerable power in the Upper Palatinate in the Middle Ages but never succeeded in becoming a direct suffragan of the emperor. When the dynasty lapsed in 1646, the landgraviate was annexed to Bavaria, where it remains to this day. Half a batzen was two kreuzer or 1/30 thaler. This type is listed for 1514 only; another half batzen (KM MB12) was struck 1514, 1516-17 and 1521.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 1.61-1.98 g, silver or billon, 22-23 mm diameter; this specimen 1,57 g.
Catalog reference: KM MB11, Friedl 60 a.
- Nicol, N. Douglas, Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of German Coins, 1501-Present, 3rd ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Katalog 424: Münster, Osnabrück, and the Peace of Westphalia | The Fuggers, Leuchtenberg, and Passau | The Collection of a German Manufacturer and History Enthusiast, Part 3, e.g., Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2025.
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