Saxony 1611 1/2 thaler KM-14
This specimen was lot 4411 in Künker sale 441 (Osnabrück, March 2026), where it sold for €200 (about US$275 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"SACHSEN, KURFÜRSTENTUM Christian II., Johann Georg I. und August, 1591-1611. 1/2 Reichstaler 1611, Dresden. Hübsche Patina, fast vorzüglich. (electorate of Saxony, Christian II, John George and August, 1591-1611, half thaler of 1611, Dresden mint. Handsome patina, about extremely fine.)"
Christian II succeeded to the electorate in 1591, aged eight. Dominated by his mother, he lapsed into alcoholism and died of a heart attack, aged 27. This type was struck 1601-11. Other half thalers for 1611 include KM 22 (struck on quarter thaler dies) and KM 41 (death of Christian II). This issue should have a swan mintmark, which is likely the muddled object at the bottom of the reverse to the right of the shield.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 14.48 g, silver, 35 mm diameter, this specimen 14,43 g.
Catalog reference: KM 14, Keilitz/Kahnt 248.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Frühjahrs-Auktion 441: Orders and Decorations from the Estate of Wilhelm, Duke of Bavaria (1752–1837), among others | Coins and Medals from the Middle Ages and Modern times, particularly Denmark, Habsburg, Norway, and Saxony, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2026.
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