Mansfeld-Vorderort (1531-40) thaler Dav-9479
This specimen was lot 2242 in Sincona sale 80 (Zürich, October 2022), where it sold for 550 CHF (about US$659 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"GERMANY | Mansfeld, Grafschaft | Vorderortlinie vor der Teilung, Hoyer VI., Gebhard VII., Albrecht VII. und Philipp II., 1531-1540. Taler o. J. Eisleben. Sehr schön-vorzüglich. Schön ausgeprägt. (county of Mansfeld, Vorderort line, Hoyer VI, Gebhard VII, Albrecht VII and Philip II, 1531-40, undated thaler, Eisleben mint. Very fine to extremely fine, Extraordinarily well struck.)"
The county of Mansfeld, already divided among four brothers, was permanently split in 1530 over religious differences. This is a joint coinage, their third and last. This example is undated; others are known dated 1531-39. Altho most Mansfeld thalers are common, this one is rather scarce. A half thaler also exists (KM MB 66). Wikipedia comments,
"To settle the enormous debts of the Counts of Mansfeld, their mighty neighbor Elector Augustus of Saxony urged Emperor Maximilian II to appoint a committee. On 15 March 1574, and again on 5 July 1574, in Leipzig and Halle, respectively, the surviving counts Hans Hoyer, Hans Georg, Hans Albrecht and Bruno concluded an agreement for the repayment of debts incurred by Counts Peter Ernst I von Mansfeld-Vorderort, Hans Ernst and Bruno von Mansfeld. The family's assets were confiscated in 1579, whereafter Imperial immediacy was lost and mediatized between the Electorate of Saxony and the Archbishopric of Magdeburg."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver. This specimen is 29.25 g.
Catalog reference: KM MB 68, Tornau 113 g. Dav-9479.
- 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]Richter, Jürg, SINCONA Auction 80, World Coins and Medals, SINCONA Bullion Auction, World Banknotes, Coins and Medals from Switzerland, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2022.
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