Herford 1552 1/2 thaler
This specimen was lot 877 in Künker sale 293 (Osnabruck, Germany, July 2017), where it sold for €2,000 (about US$2,696 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"HERFORD, ABTEI, Anna von Limburg, 1520-1565. 1/2 Taler 1552. Gemeinschaftsprägung mit der Stadt Herford. Vierfeldiges Wappen, zu den Seiten 5 - Z//Gekrönter Löwe l. Von größter Seltenheit. Korrodiert, sehr schön. Der Spruch in der Rückseitenumschrift VICIT LEO DE TRIBV IVDA bedeutet: Es siegt der Löwe aus dem Stamm Juda (Apocalypse 5, 5). (Germany, abbey of Herford, Anna of Limburg, 1520-65, half thaler of 1552, joint issue with the city of Herford. Obverse: quartered arms divide "5 - 2"; reverse: crowned lion left. Very rare, corroded, very fine. The motto on the reverse may be translated as, "THE LION OF JUDAH IS VICTORIOUS.")"
The abbey of Herford was an insignificant part of the county of Ravensberg, itself an unimportant part of the duchy of Julich-Berg. The duke of Berg, also duke of Cleve and Julich, count of Mark and Ravensburg, ruled a substantial territory in the lower Rhineland surrounding the archbishopric of Cologne. When the last duke died in 1609, Brandenburg and Pfalz fought a war over the legacy and in 1624 partitioned it, an opening act of the Thirty Years War.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver.
Catalog reference: Grote 42; Berghaus -.
- [1]Künker Münzauktionen und Goldhandel, Katalog 293: Münzen aus Mittelalter und Neuzeit u. a. die westfälischen Privatsammlungen Werner Bröker und Bernd Terletzki, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2017.
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