Lowenstein-Wertheim 1805 3 kreuzer
This specimen was lot 4280 in Künker sale 406 (Osnabrück, March 2024), where it sold for €20 (about US$26 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"LÖWENSTEIN-WERTHEIM-ROCHEFORT, GRAFSCHAFT, Gemeinschaftsprägungen. 3 Kreuzer (Groschen) 1805. Hübsche Patina, winz. Stempelfehler, sehr schön-vorzüglich. (county of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort, joint coinage, three kreuzer or groschen of 1805. Handsome patina, minor die defects, very fine to extremely fine.)"
Löwenstein-Wertheim was a county of the Holy Roman Empire, part of the Franconian Circle. It was formed from the counties of Löwenstein (based in the town of Löwenstein) and Wertheim (based in the town of Wertheim am Main) and from 1488 until 1806 ruled by the House of Löwenstein-Wertheim who are morganatic descendants (and the most senior line) of the Palatinate branch of the House of Wittelsbach. Löwenstein-Wertheim-Virneburg was the Protestant branch and Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort was the Catholic branch. They occasionally put aside their quarrels and issued joint coinage, as shown here. Löwenstein-Wertheim was mediatized in 1806 and the coinage ended.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: billon, this specimen 1.06 g.
Catalog reference: KM 32, Wibel 374-379; Beck/Morschek 26.26.
- 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 406: Gold Coins | Coins and Medals from the Medieval and Modern Times, a. o. Löwenstein-Wertheim | German Coins after 1871, a. o. Patterns from the Coenen Collection, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2024.
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