Saxony (1525) thaler Dav-9717
The first specimen was lot 1489 in Sincona sale 18 (Zürich, May 2014), where it sold for CHF 2,400 (about US$3,162 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"Guldengroschen o. J. Freiberg. Vorzüglich-sehr schön. (Germany, duchy of Saxony, gulden groschen without date, very fine to extremely fine.)"
The second specimen was lot 2794 in Sincona sale 26 (Zürich, October 2015), where it sold for 675 CHF (about US$834 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[2] noted,
"Sachsen, Herzogtum, Johann und Georg, 1525-1528 Guldengroschen o. J. Annaberg. Gutes sehr schön. Graffiti und Henkelspur (Germany, duchy of Saxony, John and George, 1525-28, undated gulden, Annaberg mint. Good very fine, grafitti and mount mark.)"
The third specimen was lot 1164 in Künker sale 293 (Osnabrück, Germany, July 2017), where it sold for €1,200 (about US$1,617 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[3] noted,
"SACHSEN, KURFÜRSTENTUM, Johann und Georg, 1525-1530. Taler o. J. Annaberg. Sehr schönes Exemplar mit feiner Tönung. Exemplar der Slg. Bernhard Terletzki. Erworben im September 1985 vom Soester Münzcabinett, H. G. Hild. (Germany, electorate of Saxony, John and George, 1525-30, undated thaler, Annaberg mint. Very fine example with fine toning.)"
Saxony, one of the larger divisions of Germany and blessed with numerous silver mines, issued large numbers of thalers. Davenport lists this type for 1525 for the Ernestine dukes Friedrich and Johann I. The emperor confiscated the electoral cap from Johann Friedrich in 1547 and awarded it to his Albertine cousin Moritz.
Recorded mintage: unknown but scarce.
Specification: silver, the first specimen 28.89 g.
Catalog reference: KM MB 196, Keilitz 87, Schnee 52, Dav-9717; the second specimen Keilitz 86, Schnee 51.
- 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.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- Gernot Schnee, Sächsiche Taler, 1500-1800, Frankfurt Am Main, P. N. Schulten, 1982.
- [1]Numismatic Coins, Medals, & Banknotes: Auction 18, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2014.
- [2]Richter, Jürg, Ruedi Kunzmann and Arne Kirsch, Numismatic Coins & Medals, Auction 26, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2015.
- [3]Künker Münzauktionen und Goldhandel, Katalog 293: Münzen aus Mittelalter und Neuzeit u. a. die westfälischen Privatsammlungen Werner Bröker und Bernd Terletzki, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2017.
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