Saxe-Alt-Weimar (15)73 1/4 thaler
This specimen was lot 4487 in Künker sale 441 (Osnabrück, March 2026), where it sold for €3,600 (about US$4,953 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"SACHSEN, HERZOGTUM (Ernestiner nach dem Verlust der Kurwürde) Johann Wilhelm, 1567-1573. 1/4 Reichstaler 1573, Saalfeld. Von größter Seltenheit. Hübsche Patina, leichte Belagreste, sehr schön. Exemplar der Sammlung Brand, Teil 2, Auktion Leu 47, Zürich 1988, Nr. 2428. (duchy of Saxony, Ernestine line after the loss of the electoral cap, John William, 1567-73, quarter thaler of 1573, Saalfeld mint. Extremely rare, handsome patina, light pitting, very fine.)"
In 1554, the Ernestine possessions were divided into Saxe-Eisenach and Saxe-Coburg (John Frederick II), Saxe-Weimar (John William, shown here) and Saxe-Gotha (John Frederick III). John Frederick II was imprisoned by the emperor and John Frederick III died without heirs, forcing a reshuffle of the Saxon duchies. The division of Erfurt in 1572 made permanent the partitioning of ducal Saxony into fragments. Until then, the head of the family issued coins for all the branches; after that, each line issued its own. This type was struck 1568-73, all with two digit dates, and is very scarce.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen 7,16 g.
Catalog reference: KM MB14, Koppe 379.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- Nicol, N. Douglas, Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of German Coins, 1501-Present, 3rd ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Frühjahrs-Auktion 441: Orders and Decorations from the Estate of Wilhelm, Duke of Bavaria (1752–1837), among others | Coins and Medals from the Middle Ages and Modern times, particularly Denmark, Habsburg, Norway, and Saxony, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2026.
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