Schaumburg-Lippe 1821-H 1/2 thaler
This specimen was lot 33920 in Heritage sale 3082 (New York, January 2020), where it sold for $810. The catalog description[1] noted, "German States: Schaumburg-Lippe. Georg Wilhelm 1/2 Taler 1821 MS65 NGC. A brilliant silvery pattern of tone produces a pleasant reversion between darker devices and brighter fields that seems highly evocative of German coins of this period. Dual cartwheels whirl furiously across the fields with only a brief scattering of haymarks standing in their path, which, for their part, hardly disrupt the flow of the luster. The devices moreover appear highly frosty as the coin is turned in hand, bringing the visual allure full circle." The principality of Schaumburg-Lippe was a sparse issuer of coins. For 1821, we note this half thaler (KM 34) and a 4 pfennig (KM 31.1), mariengroschen (KM 32) and a 1/24 thaler (KM 33). None are common.
Recorded mintage: 5,400.
Specification: 14.03 g, 0.833 fine silver, .375 troy oz ASW, 32 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM 34.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- [1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, Heritage World and Ancient Coins Online Auction 3082, featuring the Caranett Collection, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2019.
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