Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel 1656-HS thaler Dav-6341

Stack's Bowers November 2023 Collector's Choice sale, lot 73472

This specimen was lot 73472 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, November 2023), where it sold for $384. The catalog description^[1] noted, "GERMANY. Brunswick-Luneburg: Brunswick. "Houseboy" Taler, 1656-HS. Zellerfeld Mint; mm: crossed keys and HS. August "the Younger". PCGS EF-40. This example has generous amounts of champagne toning washed over its otherwise medium gray surfaces. Some softness in strike is noted on both the obverse and reverse. From the Robert C. Knepper Collection. Ex: Earl Victor Tuttle Collection, Bowers and Ruddy Galleries (15-17 June 1981), lot #497 (with ticket)." This specimen seems to be a product of the Zellerfeld mint which was operated by mintmaster Henning Schluter. The "houseboy" thaler acquired its nickname because the wild man appears to be dusting his forest with a broom. This type was struck 1653-65 and is among the more common thalers of the period.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: silver.

Catalog reference: Dav-6341; KM-442.1; Welter-822.

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.
• Davenport, John S., German Secular Talers, 1600-1700, Frankfurt: Numismatischer Verlag, 1976.
• ^[1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, November 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction - Ancient & World Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.

Link to:

• 1655-HS thaler, "houseboy" reverse
• 1655 thaler, bust obverse
• 1656-HS half thaler, wild man reverse
• 1656 thaler, bust obverse
• Brunswick-Luneburg-Calenberg 1656-HS thaler Dav-6528, wild man reverse
• 1657 thaler, capped bust of the duke
• 1657-HS "wild man" thaler, tree in ground
• 1658-HS thaler, "houseboy" reverse
• Coins and currency dated 1656