Westphalia 1812-B 5 thaler Fr-3514
This specimen was lot 6620 in Künker sale 336 (Osnabruck, Germany, March 2020), where it sold for €1,800 (about US$2,356 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"WESTPHALEN, KÖNIGREICH, Hieronymus Napoleon, 1807-1813. 5 Taler 1812, B. GOLD. RR Sehr schön +. (Germany, kingdom of Westphalia, Jerome Napoleon, 1807-13, five thaler of 1812. Rare, very fine or better.)"
The first type of five thaler, with the value on the obverse, was struck 1810 only and is rare. The subsequent type of 1811-13, shown here, featured a bust of the king. 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.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 6.65 g, 0.900 fine gold, this specimen 6.61 g.
Catalog reference: KM 122, Divo/S. 216; Fr-3514; Schl. 886.
- 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.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- [1]Künker Münzauktionen und Goldhandel, Catalog 336: Gold coins from all over the World|German Coins after 1871. Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2020.
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