Austria (1691-92) 1/4 thaler

Sincona sale 76, lot 1429

Künker sale 423, lot 145

The first specimen was lot 1429 in Sincona sale 76 (Zürich, May 2022), where it sold for 1,400 CHF (about US$1,699 including buyer's fees). The catalog description^[1] noted,

"HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE - AUSTRIA. Leopold I. 1657-1705. 1/4 Taler o. J. (1691/1692), Hall. Mit Löwenkopfschulter. FDC. NGC MS65. Prachtexemplar mit feiner Patina. (Austria, Leopold I, 1657-1705, undated quarter thaler, Hall mint. Uncirculated, Cabinet piece with nice patina.)"

The second specimen was lot 145 in Künker Auction 423 (Osnabrück, July 2025), where it sold for €1,400 (about US$1,983 including buyers' fees). The catalog description^[2] noted,

"HABSBURGISCHE ERBLANDE-ÖSTERREICH · RÖMISCH-DEUTSCHES REICH, Leopold I., 1657-1705. 1/4 Reichstaler o. J., Hall. Mit älteren Gesichtszügen. Geharnischtes Brustbild r. mit Lorbeerkranz, Löwenkopfschulter, umgelegtem Mantel und der Kette des Ordens vom Goldenen Vlies, unten die Wertzahl 1/4//Gekröntes und verziertes, fünffeldiges Wappen (Ungarn - Böhmen / Österreich-Burgund / Alt-Österreich / Habsburg-Görz), mit Mittelschild (Tirol), umher die Kette des Ordens vom Goldenen Vlies. Selten in dieser Erhaltung. Prachtexemplar. Hübsche Patina, fast Stempelglanz. Exemplar der Auktion Schweizerischer Bankverein 19, Basel 1988, Nr. 2737. (Holy Roman Empire, Leopold I, 1657-1705, undated half thaler, circa 1670, Hall mint, older bust. Obverse: armored, laureate and mantled bust with order chain and fringed lion's head on the shoulder; reverse: crowned ornate manifold arms of Hungary, Bohemia, Austria, Burgundy and Gorizia with escutcheon of Tyrol, Order chain around. Rare in this quality, cabinet example, handsome patina, about uncirculated.)"

This piece and the accompanying half thaler both use the older bust of the emperor. Sincona attribute both to 1691-92, which we have followed here, but the SCWC attributes them to 1658. See KM 1173.1 for the quarter thaler with the young bust.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: silver, the first specimen 7.16 g, the second specimen 7,11 g.

Catalog reference: KM 1173.2, Moser/Tursky 765. Herinek 863.

Source:

• 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.
• Heinz Moser and Heinz Tursky, Die Munzstatte Hall in Tirol, 2 vols. Innsbruck: Verlag Dr Rudolf Erhad, 1981.
• ^[1]Richter, Jürg, SINCONA Auction 76, The Annemarie and Gerd Köhlmoos Collection, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2022.
• ^[2]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Katalog 423: Coins and medals from Tyrol - The collection of Dipl.-Ing. Hermann Wohnlich., Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2025.

Link to:

• (1670) quarter thaler, Hall mint, younger bust
• (1670) half thaler, Hall mint, younger bust
• 1691 3 kreuzer, Hall mint
• 1691 15 kreuzer, Hall mint
• (1691-92) half thaler, Hall mint, older bust
• 1691 thaler, Hall mint
• 1694-IA quarter thaler, Graz mint
• Coins and currency dated 1691