Saxony 1536 thaler Dav-9721
This specimen was lot 2033 in Goldberg Sale 139 (Los Angeles, June 2024), where it sold for $510. The catalog description[1] noted, "German States: Saxe-Ernestine Line. Taler, 1536. Johann Friedrich and Georg, 1532-1539. Bearded bust left. Reverse: Bust right, sword over shoulder. Toned. NGC graded EF-45." Saxony, one of the larger divisions of Germany and blessed with numerous silver mines, issued large numbers of thalers. This type was struck 1534-39 at Annaberg and Freiburg. The Ernestine and Albertine lines had already divided by 1536 but were still issuing joint coinages. The Ernestine line was the senior branch of Saxon dukes and held the electoral cap until the capture of Johann Friedrich in 1547, when the emperor confiscated it and awarded it to the Albertine line. Thereafter, the Thuringian state splintered into the Saxon duchies.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver.
Catalog reference: KM MB200, Dav-9721.
- 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]Goldberg, Ira, Stephen Harvey and Vera Kan, Goldberg Sale 139: the Pre-Long Beach Auction, featuring the Peh Family Collection, Part II, Los Angeles: Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, 2024.
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