Saxony 1550 thaler Dav-9787
This specimen was lot 5861 in Künker sale 354 (Osnabrück, Germany, September 2021), where it sold for €600 (about US$835 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"SACHSEN, KURFÜRSTENTUM, Moritz, 1547-1553. Taler 1550, Annaberg. Mit MAVRICI in der Vorderseitenumschrift und großer Rosette im Schild der Rückseitenumschrift. Sehr schön. (Germany, electorate of Saxony, Maurice, 1547-53, thaler of 1550, Annaberg, with "MAVRICI" on the obverse and large rosette on the shield on the reverse. Very fine.)"
Saxony, one of the larger divisions of Germany and blessed with numerous silver mines, issued large numbers of thalers. This Davenport type is an early date for Saxony and is listed for 1548-53. On Johann Friedrich's capture and imprisonment in 1547, the electoral cap was taken away from the Ernestine line and given to Moritz of the Albertine line by the emperor as punishment for rebellion. Thereafter, the Thuringian state splintered into the Saxon duchies.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen 28.87 g.
Catalog reference: KM MB 118, Dav-9787; Schnee 689 Anm. var; Keilitz/Kahnt 10 var.
- Nicol, N. Douglas, Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of German Coins, 1501-Present, 3rd ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- Davenport, John S., German Talers, 1500-1600, Frankfurt am Main, Numismatischer Verlag P. N. Schulten, 1979.
- Gernot Schnee, Sächsiche Taler, 1500-1800, Frankfurt Am Main, P. N. Schulten, 1982.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Künker Auktion 354: Munzen und Medaillen aus Mittelalter und Neuzeit u. a. Braunschweig-Luneburg. Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2021.
Link to: