Prussia 1815-B 1/6 thaler
This specimen was part of lot 4000 in Künker sale 353 (Osnabrück, Germany, September 2021), where it sold for €170 (about US$237 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRANDENBURG-PREUSSEN, PREUSSEN, KÖNIGREICH, Friedrich Wilhelm III. 1797-1840. 1/6 Taler 1815 B, 1816 B, 1817 B. ...3 Stück., Sehr schön und besser. (Germany, kingdom of Prussia, Frederick William III, 1797-1840, one sixth thaler of 1815. [One of] three pieces, very fine or better.)"
In 1812, Napoleon was defeated before Moscow and the French army forced to retreat. His unwilling allies, including Prussia and Austria, defected and formed a new coalition which culminated in Allied victory at the Battle of Leipzig in 1813. The Prussians reopened their emergency mint at Glatz in Silesia and struck this type there in 1812-13. Both dates are scarce. The Breslau mint resumed the "B" mintmark in 1814-17 before closing again.
Recorded mintage: unknown but a scarce date.
Specification: 5.35 g, 0.521 fine silver, this specimen 5.25 g.
Catalog reference: KM 385, AKS 24; J. 31; Olding 116.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Künker Auktion 353: Die Sammlung Axel Tesmer, Teil 2: Prägungen der Könige von Preussen von der Kroning 1701 bis zum Ende der Monarchie. Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2021.
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