Munster 1639 thaler Dav-5591
This specimen was lot 3688 in Künker Auction 426 (Osnabrück, July 2025), where it sold for €1,100 (about US$1,558 including buyers' fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"MÜNSTER, BISTUM Ferdinand von Bayern, 1612-1650. Reichstaler 1639, Münster. Min. Belagreste, kl. Kratzer, vorzüglich-Stempelglanz/vorzüglich. (Germany, bishopric of Münster, thaler of 1639, Münster mint. A little rough, hairlines, extremely fine to uncirculated.)"
All the thalers of Münster are scarce. The town and the region were thoroughly devastated by the Thirty Years War and never recovered. The bishop succeeded in establishing the Counter-Reformation there and holding the region for the Catholic Church. This type of 1633-46 is among the more available for this locale. Altho never ordained as a priest, Ferdinand was also bishop of Hildesheim, Liege and Paderborn and archbishop of Cologne.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specifications: silver, this specimen 28,85 g.
Catalog reference: KM 8, Dav-5591; Schulze 34 a var.
- 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., German Church and City Talers, 1600-1700, Galesburg, IL, 1967.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, eLive Premium Auction 426: European and German Coins and Medals from the 16th to the 20th century, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2025.
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