Magdeburg 1542 thaler Dav-9433A
This specimen was lot 346 in Künker sale 263 (Osnabrück, June 2015), where it sold for €1,900 (about US$2,455 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"Magdeburg, ERZBISTUM Albrecht IV. von Brandenburg, 1513-1545. Guldengroschen 1542, Magdeburg. Mit ARIHIE in der Rückseitenumschrift. R Hübsche Patina, attraktives, sehr schönes Exemplar. (Germany, archbishopric of Magdeburg, Albrecht IV of Brandenburg, 1513-45, Guldengroschen of 1542, Magdeburg mint, with ARIHIE added to the obverse legend. Nice patina, attractive, very nice example.)"
This type of 1537-42, while scarce, is the first thaler from this locale not astronomically priced. Dav-9433 lacks the ARIHIE. Wikipedia comments, "Albert von Brandenburg (1490-1545) was a German cardinal, elector, Archbishop of Mainz from 1514 to 1545, and Archbishop of Magdeburg from 1513 to 1545. Through his notorious sale of indulgences, he became the catalyst for Martin Luther's Reformation and its staunch opponent."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver.
Catalog reference: Dav-9433 A, v. Schr. 100.
- 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.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- [1]Künker Münzauktionen und Goldhandel, Catalog 263, The Friedrich Popken collection of gold and silver coinages | Coins and Medals from Medieval and Modern Times, a. o. the collection of Ernst Otto Horn, part III, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2015.
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