Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel 1583 thaler Dav-9064
The first specimen was lot 55402 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Pittsburgh, PA, August 2023), where it sold for $552. The catalog description[1] noted, "GERMANY. Brunswick-Luneburg: Wolfenbuttel. "Light" Taler, 1583. Goslar Mint. Julius. PCGS EF-45. Comes with Kunker auction tag. From the Robert C. Knepper Collection. Ex: Kunker (6/2001) Lot # 615." The second specimen was lot 3482 in Künker Auction 426 (Osnabrück, July 2025), where it sold for €380 (about US$538 including buyers' fees). The catalog description[2] noted,
"BRAUNSCHWEIG-WOLFENBÜTTEL, FÜRSTENTUM Julius, 1568-1589. Reichstaler 1583, Goslar. Lichttaler. Hübsche Patina, sehr schön. (Germany, duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Julius 1568-89, "light" thaler of 1583, Goslar mint. Handsome patina, very fine.)"
This type was issued 1583-86 and is fairly common for the period. The so-called "light" thaler refers to the candle in the wild man's hand, not the coin's weight.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, the second specimen 29,04 g.
Catalog reference: Dav-9064, KM MB190; Welter-578.
- Davenport, John S., German Talers, 1500-1600, Frankfurt am Main, Numismatischer Verlag P. N. Schulten, 1979.
- Nicol, N. Douglas, Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of German Coins, 1501-Present, 3rd ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, August 2023 Global Showcase Auction, World & Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
- [2]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, eLive Premium Auction 426: European and German Coins and Medals from the 16th to the 20th century, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2025.
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