Leuchtenberg 1545 thaler Dav-9370
This specimen was lot 599 in Künker Auction 424 (Osnabrück, July 2025), where it sold for €850 (about US$1,204 including buyers' fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"DEUTSCHE MÜNZEN UND MEDAILLEN · LEUCHTENBERG, LANDGRAFSCHAFT Georg III., 1531-1555. Taler 1545, Pfreimd, mit Titel Karls V. Münzmeister Hans Fuchstaller. Münzzeichen Stern. Mit gekürzter Jahreszahl 45. St. Georg mit Schild und Fahne steht v. v., unten der lebende Drache//Gekrönter Doppeladler mit Kopfscheinen, auf der Brust zweifeldiges Wappen (Österreich/Burgund). Sehr seltener Jahrgang. Sehr schön. (Germany, landgraviate of Leuchtenberg, George III, 1531-55, thaler of 1545, Pfreimd mint, struck in the name of Charles V. Obverse: St. George stands, holding a shield and flag from the front, below, the living dragon; reverse: crowned and nimbate double-headed eagle, on the chest the impaled arms of Austria and Burgundy. Very rare date, 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. Georg III issued a series of thalers (Dav-9367 thru Dav-9372) during 1541-53. All are scarce and this one, struck 1543-49, is probably the most available.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 28.01-28.90 g, silver, 40-41 mm diameter; this specimen 28,66 g.
Catalog reference: KM MB31, Dav-9370; Friedl 105 c.
- Davenport, John S., German Talers, 1500-1600, Frankfurt am Main, Numismatischer Verlag P. N. Schulten, 1979.
- 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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