Saxony 1561-T 1/2 thaler
Saxony was a wealthy state at the end of the sixteenth century and was blessed with numerous silver mines. Many thalers were produced. This specimen was lot 4259 in Künker sale 335 (Osnabrück, Germany, March 2020), where it sold for €700 (about US$916 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"SACHSEN, SACHSEN, KURFÜRSTENTUM. August, 1553-1586. 1/2 Taler 1561, Schneeberg. Etwas schwach geprägt, sehr schön. (Germany, electorate of Saxony, August, 1553-86, half thaler of 1561, Schneeburg mint. Rather weakly struck, very fine.)"
This type was struck 1554-55, 1558-61 and 1564-70 and is rather expensive.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen 14.14 g.
Catalog reference: KM MB155, Keilitz/Kahnt 83.
- Cuhaj, George S., Thomas Michael and Douglas Nicol, Standard Catalog of German Coins, 1501-Present, 3rd Ed. Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- [1]Künker Münzauktionen und Goldhandel, Catalog 335: Bracteates from Upper Swabia and the area of the Lake Constance | Coins and Medals from Medieval and Modern Times, a. o. the Dr. Karl Walter Bach Collection of coins of the Austrian nobility, Special collections of Bavaria, Lubeck, Wurttemberg as well as siege coins from the Eberhard Link Collection. Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2020.
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