The First Dollar

Thanks so much for sharing.

 

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I am also a fan of big, crude, early dollars. (Although I only have one.) Mine is not so old as yours! Just 100 years after the fall of the Byzantines and the coinage is starting to become modern.

The dealer who sold this to me said Lion Daalders are now in "The Red Book".


Netherlands, West Friesland, 1604 .750 silver Lion Daalder (Leeuwendaalder), 41mm, 26.7g
Obv: Mo[neta] No[va] Or[dinis] Wes[t] Fri[siae] [ad] Valor[em] Hol[landiae] ("new coin struck at the order of West Friesland to the Holland standard"); Soldier standing left, head right, holding crowned coat-of-arms
Rev: Deus Fortitudo et Spes Nostra ("God is our strength and hope"); Lion rampant left.
Refs: J. S. Davenport, European Crowns and Talers 1484-1968, #4868, Delmonte 835

 

I love this thread. I have been meaning to pursue this topic for way too long.

So who or what is Basanno and who is LVDOVICVS?

 

Ludovicus refers to the reigning Lord Ludwig II of Bohemia when this was issued. Basanno not sure. I don't understand Latin very well

 

Yours a fantastic Daalder as well. The later issues are more refined compared to the first Joachimsthal issues. Weak presses and crude planchets are pretty common back then. My piece is considered XF although with modern standards it would be VF. Although earlier larger silvers issued by Sigismund of Tirol exists, they were heavier arp in 31g +. The reason the Joachimsthal became the first Thaler was because their weight and dimensions at approx 27-28g set the standard for silver crowns across Europe and eventually the new world notwithstanding they wete also way more popular.

 

Ludwig has already been dealt with by @Loong Siew and Bassano del Grappa is a place in Italy. The Schlicks were also counts of Bassano ...

Christian

 

To a limited extent. It just gives a basic valuation for them as a whole series.

 

A wonderful bit of numismatic history, much appreciated.