Saxony 1547 1/4 thaler KM-MB332
This specimen was lot 1278 in Jean Elsen sale 149 (Brussels, December 2021), where it sold for €700 (about US$948 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ALLEMAGNE, SAXE, Johann Friedrich (1532-1547), AR 1/4 Talerklippe, 1547. Frappé pendant le siège de Leipzig. D/ Ecu de Saxe sous les lettres H HF K, au-dessus de la date. Rare Uniface. Trace de bélière. Très Beau. (Germany, electorate of Saxony, John Frederick, 1532-47, silver quarter thaler klippe of 1547, struck during the siege of Liepzig. Obverse: arms of Saxony below the letters H HF K, date at bottom. Rare, uniface, mount mark, Very Fine.)"
The Ernestine line was the senior branch of Saxon dukes and held the electoral cap until the capture of Johann Friedrich at the battle of Muhlberg in 1547, when the emperor confiscated it and awarded it to the Albertine line. This siege klippe was struck during the Schmalkaldic War which was ended by the battle. Thereafter, the Thuringian state splintered into the Saxon duchies.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen 8,57 g.
Catalog reference: KM MB332, Keilitz-Kohl 162; Brause-Mansfeld 23, 3; Mailliet II, 8.
- Nicol, N. Douglas, Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of German Coins, 1501-Present, 3rd ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 149: Monnaies, Médailles et Décorations, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2021.
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