Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp 1674-AH thaler Dav-3704
This specimen was lot 4586 in Künker sale 441 (Osnabrück, March 2026), where it sold for €8,000 (about US$11,006 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN-GOTTORP, HERZOGTUM Christian Albrecht, 1659-1694. Reichstaler 1674, Stade. Geharnischtes Brustbild r. mit umgelegtem Mantel und Halstuch//Gekrönter, verzierter Wappenschild mit den Wappen von Norwegen, Schleswig, Holstein, Stormarn, Dithmarschen und Oldenburg-Delmenhorst als Mittelschild, umher Palmzweige, oben zu den Seiten die geteilte Signatur A - H (Andreas Hille, Münzmeister in Stade 1670-1676). Von allergrößter Seltenheit. Winz. Kratzer, sehr schön +. Exemplar der Sammlung Münzen und Medaillen aus adeligem Privatbesitz. (duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, Christian Albert, 1659-94, thaler of 1674, Stade mint. Obverse: armored and draped bust right; reverse: crowned and quartered arms of Norway, Schleswig, Holstein, Stormarn and Dithmarschen with the escutcheon of Oldenburg-Delmenhorst, palm fronds around, initials above. Supremely rare, hairlines, very fine or better.)"
The dynastic affairs of this duchy were complicated even by German standards as the dukes were related to the king of Denmark and even the czar of Russia. The SCWC notes three thalers from this state for 1674: KM 118/Dav-3703 (initials MF), KM 120/Dav-3704 (shown here) and KM 121/Dav-3705 (continuous obverse legend). All are extremely rare. Presumably, the Swedish government granted permission for the minting of the present piece in Stade—the capital of their Duchy of Bremen-Verden—as it supported the Duke in his disputes with Christian V of Denmark.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen 28,64 g.
Catalog reference: KM 120, Dav-3704; Lange 375 leicht var.
- 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.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1600-1700, Galesburg, IL, 1974.
- Siegs Møntcatalog 2016: Danmark med Omrader, 48 ed., Frederikssund, Siegs Forlag ApS, 2015.
- [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.
Links: