Montfort 1730 1/2 thaler KM-141
This specimen was lot 4302 in Künker sale 406 (Osnabrück, March 2024), where it sold for €4,400 (about US$5,773 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"MONTFORT, GRAFSCHAFT. Ernst, 1730-1758. 1/2 Reichstaler 1730, Langenargen. Von großer Seltenheit. Feine Patina, vorzüglich. (Germany, county of Montfort, Ernest, 1730-58, half thaler of 1730, Langenargen mint. Extremely rare, fine patina, extremely fine.)"
The high relief of this coin suggests that it was not intended to circulate. Wikipedia states that Ernst did not succeed Anton III until 1733; perhaps there was a period of regency or co-rule. The SCWC lists three half thalers for 1730: KM 140 (St. John obverse/Madonna reverse), KM 141 (bust of Ernst), KM A88 (bust of Anton III). This type, KM 141, is listed for 1730, 1736, 1740, 1746 and 1753 while KM A88 is listed for 1717 and 1730. All are scarce to rare. Montfort is an extremely obscure locality on the shore of Lake Constance in Wurttemberg. We have filed it under Austria as the counts sold out to the Austrian emperor in 1780.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen 14.12 g.
Catalog reference: KM 141, Ebner 294; Rutishauser 350.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Katalog 406: Gold Coins | Coins and Medals from the Medieval and Modern Times, a. o. Löwenstein-Wertheim | German Coins after 1871, a. o. Patterns from the Coenen Collection, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2024.
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