I had no clue.... fascinating (his)story and gorgeous collection you've got there, very educating, thanks.
One thing that has changed since I originally wrote this is that I have been able to acquire some pieces from the 16th century. MA-Shops has been one good source in addition to a few affordable pieces showing up at Heritage. At the time this was written I hadn't come across any of these for sale. Thank you @Peter T Davis for making this a Featured thread.
I finally got me a nice Hogmouth Thaler, now I've got to find a Wildman. What does a generic Wildman Thaler run in EF-AU?
The Thaler's can get pretty pricey. If you are just looking for an example in any condition it will be a minimum of $200-300. At this price it may be damaged or just a lousy strike. The sky is the limit for higher graded pieces. I don't pay too much attention to the grades on these. A nice strike is the key for me.
In a previous post, I recently said: And look at what just happened. Our thread author, @Chris B, took it upon himself to correct my lack of "Wildness" by just up and sending me a generous and kind gift! First of all, note the greeting card the coin came in. Looks like an interesting linoleum block print or something. I'd be interested to know if it was his artwork. It's certainly one of a kind. There were two smaller seals with the same design on the outside of the envelope. You know you're dealing with a Wildman fanatic when you get one of these cards! And here's what was inside the card. (Standard apologies for my quickie cellphone shots.) How 'bout that, huh? Thanks, @Chris B! That was totally awesome of you! (I will add that the coin has some subtle but attractive hints of colorful toning which aren't really visible in my subpar photos.) I am now proud to be a card-carrying Wildman owner, at last.
I hail from Brunswick, Georgia (named for Brunswick in Germany, since our town was mapped out during the reign of the Hanoverian King George III), so I suppose I need to add a nice high grade coin of one of the German Brunswick states someday. Maybe another Wildman... maybe a prancing horsie...
@lordmarcovan take a look at my avatar and you will see where the artwork came from. I just took my favorite coin and played with Photoshop. Enjoy the coin. It looked like there was a little luster remaining around the legends.
Lo, there he is. I like what you did with it, artistically. If I had more sophisticated software and skills, I'd play around like that, too. As to the coin, I will indeed enjoy it. Might pass it along "within the family" when I want to sweeten up one of the future monthly giveaways, but not right now. Had it been just a teensy bit higher grade, it would be off to PCGS and destined for my Eclectic Box. In fact, I've not entirely ruled that out. Confession: the main reason I've never owned a Wildman up to now is that they didn't used to "do it for me". Not completely, anyway. I thought they were kinda neat- just not my personal cuppa tea, is all. I've since evolved into a better appreciation of them. This thread had a lot to do with that, even before you sent the nice gift.
I love this one, where he's really swung the tree around. It's a handsome coin regardless, but I just like this particular rendering of the Wildman. You would not wanna get within tree-swinging distance of this fella!
Here's an ancient Greek Wildman of sorts. The obverse portrait is variously described as a satyr or the god Pan (who was the god of... what else? The wild, of course.) In one of my earlier posts, someone said he looks like "The Wolfman" here, which is a pretty apt comparison, I think. Perhaps the satyr on this ancient coin is the ancestor of these later European Wildmen. This was also a type that I previously had considered to be kind of neat, but not quite for me. That all changed recently, and I decided I just had to have this one. (I happen to also like griffins a lot.) Greece (Thrace, Pantakapaion): bronze Æ21, ca. 310-303 BC Ex-Lodge Antiquities.
Someone told me that is how many Germans think of themselves. Like 80' tall and uprooting trees like nothing.
Well, we've got Paul Bunyan here in North America, after all. Small wonder it's such a popular theme. It's interesting to see how the mythology has morphed over the centuries.
I just acquired a wildman thaler this past weekend. Had to have it purchase. Thanks for the very educational posts.
thanks for sharing I just happen to have a very fine no cents coin and I hope someday to share my collection with my grandchild
@alurid, I suggest you get that one authenticated -- I think the coat of arms side, in particular, looks quite different from others I have seen.
At $5, I'm sure you will find it to be made from base metal. Yes, it's a really good deal -- for the forger -- because these can be made for well less than a buck. If you buy them they will continue to make them so please, please, please don't buy them.