Pfalz 1548 thaler Dav-9627
The first specimen was lot 1197 in Jean Elsen sale 149 (Brussels, December 2021), where it sold for €1,100 (about US$1,490 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ALLEMAGNE, HAUT PALATINAT (OBERPFALZ), Friedrich II (1508-1556), AR Guldiner, 1548, Neumarkt. D/ B. cour. de l'électeur de f., ten. une épée et un gl. cr. R/ Heaume cimé d'un lion au-dessus de trois écussons (Palatinat et Bavière). Rare Belle patine. Très Beau à Superbe. (Germany, upper Palatinate, Frederick II, 1508-56, silver guldiner of 1548, Neumarkt mint. Obverse: facing bust of the elector holding a sword and an orb; reverse: mantled helmet over three shields (Palatinate and Bavaria). Rare, nice patina, Very Fine - Extremely Fine.)"
This scarce type was struck 1545-49 while the thaler and the gulden were both worth sixty kreuzer. It differs from the very similar Dav-9626 in having the elector's sword not pierce the circle on the obverse. The Palatinate was the victim of frequent partitions and reshufflings as various branches of the Wittelsbachs divided or fell extinct. Frederick II was Pfalzgraf 1544-56 and introduced Lutheranism to his realm, raising the ire of his overlord, Charles V. He was succeeded by Otto Henry (1556-59) and Frederick III (1559-76), who was a Calvinist. The second specimen was lot 963 in Stephen Album sale 50 (Santa Rosa, CA, September 2024), where it sold for $1,440. The catalog description[2] noted, "PFALZ-OBERPFALZ: Frederick II, 1544-1556, AR reichsthaler, Neumarkt, 1548, XF." The auctioneers miscatalogued the second specimen as a long sword variety, which was only struck in 1547.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen 28,74 g.
Catalog reference: KM MB135, Götz 166; Schulten 2731; Dav-9627.
- Davenport, John S., German Talers, 1500-1600, Frankfurt am Main, Numismatischer Verlag P. N. Schulten, 1979.
- Nicol, N. Douglas, Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of German Coins, 1501-Present, 3rd ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 149: Monnaies, Médailles et Décorations, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2021.
- [2]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 50, featuring selections from the Dr. Robert A. Rosenfeld Collection, the Hakim Hamidi Collection, the Almer H. Orr III Collection and the Solar Collection, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2024.
Link to: