Munster 1764-IK 1/2 thaler
This specimen was lot 42 in Künker sale 293 (Osnabrück, Germany, July 2017), where it sold for €280 (about US$377 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"MÜNSTER, BISTUM, Maximilian Friedrich von Königsegg-Rothenfels, 1762-1784. 1/2 Konv.-Taler 1764, Münster. Kl. Probierspur am Rand, kl. Kratzer, sehr schön-vorzüglich. Exemplar der Auktion Fritz Rudolf Künker 1, Osnabrück 1985, Nr. 1033. (bishopric of Munster, Maximilian Friedrich von Königsegg-Rothenfels, 1762-84, half convention thaler of 1764, Munster mint. Small mount mark on edge, minor scratches, very fine to extremely fine. From Kunker sale 1.)"
The bishops of Munster issued thalers on occasion during the early eighteenth century but a "sede vacante" issue of 1761 (Dav-2470) is the last. All of the ecclesiastical states were mediatized by Napoleon and handed over to his allies in 1800-06. The SCWC lists this as a two-thirds thaler, which seems logical, as it is marked "2/3" on the reverse. However, it is also marked "20 to the mark", which is the correct weight for a half thaler. We believe the "2/3" means two-thirds of a gulden.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver.
Catalog reference: Schulze 260, KM 205.
- [1]Künker Münzauktionen und Goldhandel, Katalog 293: Münzen aus Mittelalter und Neuzeit u. a. die westfälischen Privatsammlungen Werner Bröker und Bernd Terletzki, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2017.
- 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.
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