Saxony 1564-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 4260 in Künker sale 335 (Osnabrück, Germany, March 2020), where it sold for €2,200 (about US$2,879 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"SACHSEN, SACHSEN, KURFÜRSTENTUM. August, 1553-1586. 1/2 Taler 1564, Schneeberg. Selten, besonders in dieser Erhaltung. Feine Patina, sehr schön-vorzüglich. (Germany, electorate of Saxony, August, 1553-86, half thaler of 1564, Schneeburg mint. Scarce in this condition, fine patina, very fine to extremely fine.)"
This type was struck 1554-70, all with mintmaster T. Another half thaler (KM MB192) was struck 1557-70 with mintmaster HB; it is rather more common.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen 14.32 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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