Leuchtenberg 1516 1/2 batzen
This specimen was lot 586 in Künker Auction 424 (Osnabrück, July 2025), where it sold for €260 (about US$368 including buyers' fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"DEUTSCHE MÜNZEN UND MEDAILLEN · LEUCHTENBERG, LANDGRAFSCHAFT Johann IV., 1487-1531. 1/2 Batzen 1516, Pfreimd. Münzmeister Hermann Plech. Die Wappenschilde von Hals / Pfreimd und Grünsfeld in Kleeblattstellung//Bindenschild von Leuchtenberg, darüber die Jahreszahl * I5I6 *. RR Feine Patina, winz. Prägeschwäche, sehr schön-vorzüglich. (Germany, landgraviate of Leuchtenberg, John IV, 1487-1531, half batzen of 1516, Pfreimd mint. Obverse: arms of Hals, Grünsfeld and Pfreimd in a triangle; reverse: arms of Leuchtenberg, date above. Very rare, fine patina, weakly struck, very fine to extremely fine.)"
The landgrave of Leuchtenberg was a considerable power in the Upper Palatinate in the Middle Ages but never succeeded in becoming a direct suffragan of the emperor. When the dynasty lapsed in 1646, the landgraviate was annexed to Bavaria, where it remains to this day. This type is listed for 1514, 1516-17 and 1521. The last half batzen was struck in 1525.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 1.61-1.98 g, silver or billon, 22-23 mm diameter; this specimen 1,86 g.
Catalog reference: KM MB12, Friedl 65.
- Nicol, N. Douglas, Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of German Coins, 1501-Present, 3rd ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Katalog 424: Münster, Osnabrück, and the Peace of Westphalia | The Fuggers, Leuchtenberg, and Passau | The Collection of a German Manufacturer and History Enthusiast, Part 3, e.g., Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2025.
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