Magdeburg 1631-PS thaler Dav-5518
This specimen was lot 54 in Scotsman's Midwest Summer Sale (St. Louis, July 2012), where it sold for $____. The catalog description noted, "Germany - 1638 Magdeburg Taler VF. The Protestant city of Magdeburg was sieged and subsequently plundered by the Catholic forces of the Holy Roman Empire in 1631, with 25,000 of its 30,000 citizens killed in a violent massacre. So great was the destruction that 'magdeburgization' became a term synonymous with utter destruction. Ferdinand III set about rebuilding the city in 1638, by which time its population had receded to just 400." Separate issues for Magdeburg ended in 1680 when the bishopric was absorbed by Brandenburg.
Recorded mintage: unknown but rare.
Specification: silver.
Catalog reference: KM 267, Dav-5518.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Davenport, John S., German Church and City Talers, 1600-1700, Galesburg, IL, 1967.
- Garcia, James, and Jay Woodside, The Midwest Summer Sale, St Louis, MO: Scotsman Auction Co., 2012.
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