Saxe-Hildburghausen 1708-HEA thaler Dav-2727
This specimen was lot 241 in Künker sale 400 (Berlin, February 2024), where it sold for €38,000 (about US$49,298 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"SACHSEN-HILDBURGHAUSEN, HERZOGTUM, Ernst, 1680-1715. Reichstaler 1708, Münzstätte vermutlich Coburg. ERNESTUS DEI GRATIA DVX SAXONIAE · Geharnischtes Brustbild r. mit Allongeperücken//IULIÆ CLIVIÆ MONTIUM - ANGRI E WESTPHALIÆ · Sechsfach behelmtes, 18feldiges Wappen, oben Reichsapfel, unten zwei gekreuzte Zainhaken und die Signatur H · - E - A · (Münzmeister Heinrich Ernst Angerstein), zu den Seiten die geteilte Jahreszhal 17 - 08. Von allergrößter Seltenheit, wohl 2. bekanntes Exemplar. Prachtvolle Patina, vorzüglich. (Germany, duchy of Saxe-Hildburghausen, Ernest, 1680-1715, thaler of 1708, perhaps Coburg mint. Obverse: peruked and armored bust right; reverse: six helmeted, manifold arms with imperial orb above, two crossed hooks at the bottom and initials. Extremely rare, with two examples known. Superb patina, extremely fine.)
Der Münzmeister Heinrich Ernst Angerstein hatte unter Herzog Albrecht von Sachsen-Coburg die "Stahlhütte" in Coburg gekauft und in dieser eine ordentliche Münzstätte errichtet. Er prägte für Herzog Albrecht und dann auch für Hildburghausen und Meiningen. Es bleibt aber ungeklärt, wie lange H. E. Angerstein die Hildburghäuser Münzen in Coburg geschlagen hat. (The mint master Heinrich Ernst Angerstein bought the "Stahlhütte" in Coburg under Duke Albrecht of Saxe-Coburg and built a proper mint there. He struck for Duke Albrecht and then also for Hildburghausen and Meiningen. However, it remains unclear how long H. E. Angerstein minted the Hildburghausen coins in Coburg.)"
Saxe-Hildburghausen was created in 1680 when Saxe-Gotha was partitioned by the seven sons of Ernest the Pious. It survived, more or less intact, until 1826, when the duke abandoned his title in favor of becoming duke of Saxe-Altenburg. Duke Ernest went deeply into debt to build his palace in Hildburghausen, a debt which was not paid until the 1760's.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen 29.06 g.
Catalog reference: KM 6, Dav-2727; Hollmann 4; Schnee 547.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- Davenport, John S., German Talers, 1700-1800, 2nd Ed., London: Spink & Son, 1965.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Katalog 400: Selected löser of the Dukes of Guelph from the Friedrich Popken Collection | Numismatic treasures from the Medieval and Modern Times, a. o. "multiple portraits" from a Westphalian private collection, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2024.
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