Westphalia 1811-C 2/3 thaler KM-116
This specimen was lot 5929 in Künker sale 354 (Osnabruck, Germany, September 2021), where it sold for €340 (about US$473 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"WESTPHALEN, KÖNIGREICH, Hieronymus Napoleon, 1807-1813. Gulden 1811, C. Ausbeute. Winz. Randfehler, fast vorzüglich. (Germany, kingdom of Westphalia, Jerome Napoleon, 1807-13, gulden of 1811, for the mines. Minor edge defects, about extremely fine.)"
The kingdom of Westphalia was a puppet state set up by Napoleon to enforce the Continental System (no trading with Great Britain) in north Germany. Jerome, Napoleon's brother, served him faithfully, stripping his domain of men and money for the Russian campaign. The kingdom collapsed after the battle of Leipzig. At the Congress of Vienna, the area was restored to its former lords, Hannover and Prussia. This type was struck 1811-13 at the Cassel mint. Another gulden or 2/3 thaler was struck in 1811 for regular circulation (KM 117). The thalers of 1811 (Dav-933, -934) are rare.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 13.08 g, 0.994 fine silver, this specimen 13,06 g.
Catalog reference: KM 116, AKS 26; J. 18.
- 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]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Künker Auktion 354: Munzen und Medaillen aus Mittelalter und Neuzeit u. a. Braunschweig-Luneburg. Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2021.
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