Prussia 1829-A thaler Dav-763
This specimen is one of a type struck at the Berlin (shown here) and Düsseldorf mints 1828-40, during the reign of Friedrich Wilhelm III (1797-1840). Despite the large mintage it is not frequently seen in the United States though it is not rare. Simultaneous with this thaler was struck a "mining thaler" with a different reverse (KM 420). The second specimen was lot 1050 in Sincona sale 22 (Zürich, May 2015), where it sold for 130 CHF (about US$164 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"Brandenburg-Preussen, Königreich, Friedrich Wilhelm III. 1797-1840 Taler 1829. Berlin. Vorzüglich. (Germany, kingdom of Prussia, Frederick WIlliam III (1797-1840), thaler of 1829, Berlin mint, extremely fine.)"
In 1871, with the successful conclusion of the Franco-Prussian War, king Wilhelm assumed the title of Emperor of Germany. The currency was reformed to use pfennig and marks and the taler was dropped, tho it remained legal tender at 3 mark.
Recorded mintage: 4,002,000.
Specification: 22.72 g, 0.750 fine silver, .537 troy oz ASW, lettered edge, the second specimen 22.18 g.
Catalog reference: Kahnt 370. Thun 250, KM 419, Dav-763.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns and Talers, Since 1800, 2nd Ed., London: Spink & Son, 1964.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, Ruedi Kunzmann and Arne Kirsch, Collection Fumatori, Auction 22, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2015.
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