Davissons Ltd had an auction finish on April 1st. They always have a few items that I am interested in and this auction was no different. I only picked up one piece on the day of the auction. I already posted it on the "newest acquisition" thread but here it is again. A nice Teutonic Thaler of 1614. It arrived this past week and I must say it looks even nicer in hand. It will be one of the centerpieces of my German States collection. Teutonic Order. Maximilian of Austria. 1588-1618. AR double thaler. 56.75 gm. 46 mm. Hall mint. 1614. Master of the Order standing, holding the hilt of a grounded sword in his right hand, a lion holding a shield to left / Maximilian on a horse moving right, a circle of shields of arms around him. Dav. 5854. KM 30. Near Extremely Fine; light wear on highest points, lightly toned, flan flaw at 11' obverse; pleasing surfaces and overall a fresh and pleasing coin. Obverse: Grand Master of the Order standing with sword, date in exergue Reverse: Maximilian mounted on horse surrounded by circle of shields of arms Ruler: Maximilian Note: Dav. #A5854 Composition: Silver Weight: 56.75g Diameter: 46mm From Wikipedia: Today, Maximilian is perhaps best remembered for his baroque archducal hat, exhibited in the treasury of the monastery of Klosterneuburg and was used for ceremonial purposes as late as 1835. Well, I guess it's good to be known for something. As I usually do, I perused the items in the aftersale. I kept coming back to this coin, you know, it kind of spoke to me. Somehow I had overlooked it before and during the sale. Obverse: In front of the crowned column, a ten-tailed deer striding to the left on a grass floor covered with two saplings and a flower Obverse Legend: IOHAN: MART: COM: IN • STOLBERG • RON: R • WERN: E • HONS Reverse: triple-helmeted Spanish shield, the divided year number on top, and the initials of the mint master(IK) on the sides Reverse Legend: DOM: IN • EPS: MVN: BREVB: LOR: ET. CLETE. Ruler: Johann Martin I Note: Dav# 7786. Composition: Silver Diameter: 44 mm Weight: 28.64g I have always liked these coins. The deer and column design are just attractive to me. But, I had never acquired a Thaler from here. This design was minted from 1645 to 1663. Across those years, between PCGS and NGC they have graded a total of 3 pieces. 1 each from 1649, 1650, and 1654. This isn't really surprising. Europe hasn't really gotten behind 3rd party grading yet. A search on acsearch shows a total of 30 pieces being sold at auction over the last 12 years. There was only 1 from 1646 that sold at a Kunker auction in 2012 for almost $5000. In my opinion, that piece was slightly better but it's close. That piece brought the highest price of any Davenport#7786 on acsearch. The other pieces cover a wide range of prices. As low as $300 for a well-worn piece. In addition, there are 2 currently listed on ma-shops (1653,1655) but they are far inferior pieces. So, obviously, I pulled the trigger and made the purchase. I feel like I got it for a bargain price when compared to similar sales. I'm not one to post what I pay for stuff but if you really want to know, send me a private message . Up to this point I had only ever acquired 1 Stolberg piece, this little 1/48 Thaler from 1719. Obverse: Stag left in front of column, end of inscription 'WERCK' in exergue Obverse Legend: GOTT SEEGNE U. ERHALTE UNSERE BERG. Reverse: 4-line inscription, mintmaster's initials divide date below Reverse Inscription: 48 / EINEN / THALER / FEIN SILB. Ruler: Christof Friedrich and Jost Christian Composition: Silver I am at the point in my collecting journey where quality is more important than quantity. I feel like I was a hoarder to a certain extent. A few years ago I promised myself that I would get rid of all the stuff that didn't thrill me anymore. Of course, there is still way too much stuff in the safe (and other places), but I am pretty happy with the state of my collection at this point. Feel free to post anything relevant or just pieces that came from aftersales.
Nothing related to those coins to post, but they are all really cool! Plus, I'm also in the same boat where I'm trying to focus on quality over quantity (although I do still get sidetracked on occasion).
The Johann Martin deer is stunning...I don't buy a lot of coins these days but if I am going to buy one I want it to be the best one I can find for the money I can spend and I am willing to wait for a long time until I find the one.
Very nice pickups I'm afraid I'm not smart enough to have purchased after-auction items, but it'll be on my list of things to do in the future, when I get back into the black from my last purchase.
The artwork on these pieces is so charming. I absolutely love the expression on the lion's face on the first one.
