Mansfeld-Artern 1616-AK 1/2 thaler
This specimen was lot 55694 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Pittsburgh, PA, August 2023), where it sold for $144. The catalog description[1] noted, "GERMANY. Mansfeld-Artern. 1/2 Taler, 1616-AK. Volrat VI, Jobst II and Wolfgang III. PCGS VF-30. From the Augustana Collection." It seems the various branches of the Mansfeld line all lived in Schloss Mansfeld but occupying different parts: Vorderort (outer castle), Mittelort (middle castle) and Hinterort (inner castle). The properties were shuffled among the various lines as various counts failed to produce heirs. In 1580, the elector of Saxony seized most of the property for debt. Mansfeld-Artern was one of the many subdivisions of Mansfeld but went extinct after two generations and was absorbed by Mansfeld-Bornstedt in 1631. This type was struck 1616-17 and is normally expensive; this specimen realized only one-third of the catalog value.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver.
Catalog reference: KM-12.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, August 2023 Global Showcase Auction, World & Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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