Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1675-WE 2/3 thaler
This specimen was lot 1228 in Jean Elsen sale 149 (Brussels, December 2021), where it sold for €120 (about US$163 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ALLEMAGNE, MECKLEMBOURG-SCHWERIN, Christian Ludwig Ier (1658-1692), AR 2/3 Taler, 1675WE, Dömitz. D/ B. dr. à d., coiffé d'une grande perruque. R/ Ecu couronné tenu par deux anges. Frappe faible au revers. Petite fêlure du flan. Très Beau/Beau à Très Beau. (Germany, duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Christian Louis I, 1658-92, silver two-thirds thaler of 1675, Domitz mint. Obverse: draped bust right in a large peruke; reverse: crowned arms borne by two angels. Weakly struck on the reverse, planchet flaws, Very Fine/Fine - Very Fine.)"
This windswept and sandy state on the Baltic state never struck much coinage and this type, struck 1675-78 and 1688, is typically scarce. It was struck at the peak of the fad for gulden or two-thirds thalers. Christian Ludwig converted to Catholicism in 1663, to the horror of his subjects, and never returned to his domain.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen 18,55 g.
Catalog reference: KM A106, Kunzel 238; Dav-667.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- Davenport, John S., Silver Gulden, 1559-1763, Frankfurt am Main, Numismatischer Verlag P. N. Schulten, 1982.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 149: Monnaies, Médailles et Décorations, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2021.
Link to:
- 1647 thaler, Adolf Friedrich
- Ratzeburg 1672 2/3 thaler, Christian Ludwig von Mecklenburg-Schwerin
- 1676-WE ⅔ thaler
- 1677 double thaler
- 1678-AH ⅔ thaler
- Coins and currency dated 1675