Schaumburg-Pinneberg (1601-22) thaler Dav-LS474
This specimen was lot 30284 in Heritage auction 3096 (Dallas, TX, March 2021), where it sold for $8,400. The catalog description[1] noted,
"German States: Schaumburg-Pinneberg. Ernst III Taler ND (c. 1606) AU58 NGC, Altona mint. Henning Hanses as mintmaster. A piece of remarkable quality for this already challenging issue. Essentially absent from auction records of the last several decades, the only other specimen that we are aware of was sold as part of the Vogel Collection in 1927. Showing evidence of a minor die shift over both sides, which in no way hinders a full appreciation of the struck detail, this specimen unsurprisingly is the only of its type yet certified. Its true condition appears very much on the cusp of Mint State, bolstered by a salt-gray patina over mild cabinet iridescence. As is stated in the description for the corresponding 2 Taler of the same type in this sale, the paucity of auction appearances of large-size emissions from Schaumburg-Pinneberg points to an immense rarity for such coins. It follows, then, that this present offering will likely garner the attention that it deserves, as collectors may not be afforded a second chance to add a piece like this to their collection for years to come. From the Paramount Collection."
Davenport lists this under Schleswig-Holstein-Schauenburg; the SCWC notes this under Schaumburg-Pinneberg; both are likely correct. The dynastic affairs of this duchy are complicated even by German standards as the dukes were related to the king of Denmark and even the czar of Russia. This thaler is one of a series (Dav-LS458 thru -LS481) issued in the early seventeenth century before the local dynasty lapsed in 1640. Pinneberg lies between Gluckstadt and Altona on the Elbe river.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, 29-30 g, 57-59 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM 30, Dav-LS474, Wilmersdörffer-Unl., Popken Collection-Unl., Vogel Collection-1586, Weinmeister-150, Lange-831c.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- Davenport, John S., Large Size Silver Coins of the World, 16th-19th Centuries, 3rd Ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 1991.
- [1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano and Warren Tucker, Heritage World and Ancient Coins Auction 3096, featuring the Paramount Collection of World & Ancient Coins, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2021.
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