Munster (1497-1508) 1/2 goldgulden Fr-1757
This specimen was lot 502 in Künker Auction 424 (Osnabrück, July 2025), where it sold for €5,500 (about US$7,788 including buyers' fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"DEUTSCHE MÜNZEN UND MEDAILLEN · MÜNSTER, BISTUM Konrad von Rietberg, 1497-1508. 1/2 Goldgulden o. J., Münster. Brustbild des Heiligen Paulus v. v. mit Schwert und Buch unter baldachinartigem Bogen, unten der Stiftsschild von Münster//Die drei Wappen von Münster, Rietberg und Osnabrück ins Dreieck gestellt, in der Mitte Punkt. GOLD. Von größter Seltenheit. Kl. Randfehler, sehr schön. Exemplar der Slg. Dieter Braun, Auktion Fritz Rudolf Künker 249, Osnabrück 2014, Nr. 1714. (Germany, bishopric of Münster, Conrad of Rietberg, 1497-1508, undated half goldgulden, Münster mint. Obverse: bust of St. Paul with sword and book under a baldachin, supporting the arms of Münster; reverse: the arms of Münster, Rietberg and Osnabruck posed in a circle, a dot in the center. Extremely rare, small rim defects, very fine.)"
This is one of two half goldgulden of this bishop, the other (Fr-1756) featuring a single shield on the reverse.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 1.62 g, 0.917 fine gold; this specimen 1,46 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-1757 ("Rare", this specimen); Ilisch XXVII, 5 (same dies).
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Katalog 424: Münster, Osnabrück, and the Peace of Westphalia | The Fuggers, Leuchtenberg, and Passau | The Collection of a German Manufacturer and History Enthusiast, Part 3, e.g., Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2025.
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