Schleswig-Holstein 1790-MF 60 schilling Dav-1311
This specimen was lot 972 in Stephen Album sale 50 (Santa Rosa, CA, September 2024), where it sold for $192. The catalog description[1] noted, "SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN: Christian VII, 1766-1808, AR 60 schilling, 1790-M, Altona Mint, About XF, ex Dr. Robert A. Rosenfeld Collection." This thaler was struck 1787-96, 1799-1804, 1807-08 by the king of Denmark in his capacity as duke of Schleswig-Holstein. A very similar design was used for an 1801 speciedaler in Denmark (KM 651) but is much rarer. Post-1800 issues of this type are catalogued as Dav-70. The initials MF stood for Michael Flor, mintmaster at Altona 1787-1818. Christian VII was insane for most of his reign and the government was in the hands of regents, including his stepmother and later his son. The court was the scene of violent power struggles over who would have access to the incapable king. Schleswig was Danish-speaking while Holstein was German; the conflicts arising therefrom led to the whole region being conquered and annexed by Prussia in the 1860's. This date comes with an "M" under the bust (shown here) or a "B".
Recorded mintage: 402,000, a better date.
Specification: 28.89 g, 0.875 fine silver.
Catalog reference: KM-138.1, Dav-1311.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1700-1800, 2nd Ed., London: Spink & Son, 1964.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- Siegs Møntcatalog 2016: Danmark med Omrader, 48 ed., Frederikssund, Siegs Forlag ApS, 2015.
- [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 50, featuring selections from the Dr. Robert A. Rosenfeld Collection, the Hakim Hamidi Collection, the Almer H. Orr III Collection and the Solar Collection, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2024.
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