Mecklenburg-Strelitz 1748-CHI 5 thaler Fr-1737
This specimen was lot 32210 in Heritage sale 3041 (Chicago, August 2015), where it sold for $3,760. The catalog description[1] noted, "Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Adolf Friedrich III gold 5 Taler 1748-CHI AU55 NGC. An interesting and scarce type with a mintage of just 2,616, it is not often seen for sale outside of Europe. Indeed, this is the first example we have handled, and the only example we can find to be sold publicly in the United States in at least a decade. The central devices, particularly the bulls' head, are boldly struck, though there are a few scattered marks and hairlines that prevent this coin from achieving true Mint State status. Nonetheless, a lovely example and nearly as nice as one could hope to find for the type." This impovished duchy on the far north of Germany issued few gold coins in the eighteenth century but three different five thalers were minted during 1747-49, all rare.
Recorded mintage: 2,616.
Specification: 6.65 g, 0.900 fine gold.
Catalog reference: KM 32, Fr-1737.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- [1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and David Michaels, Heritage World & Ancient Coins Auction 3041, featuring the Eric Beckman Collection of Canadian Coins, the Kaiser Collection of German Gold Coins and the Rudman Collection of Mexican Coins, Part I, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2015.
Link to: