I was busy doing lawns/ I had put proxy bids early in morning/ ended up winning both Braunschweig-Blankenburg/ Fürstentum AV Quarter Dukat 1728-HCH NGC MS-63 Ludwig Rudolf 1714-31 AV Half Dukat 1721-HCH NGC MS-61 Ludwig Rudolf 1714-31 This Principality only existed as a sovereign state from 1714-31. The so called "Wildmen" are they a German version of the American "Bigfoot"?
Great coins, @panzerman. Wow. Do you happen to know why the wildman motive was chosen in the first place? I used to have this Thaler, but I sold it this year. Nice coin, but a better fit for another collector.
No idea/ but there are sightings/ stories about "Bigfoot/ Yetis/ hairy apelike creatures all over the World. George I of Hannover/ Braunschweig-Lunenburg/ Great Britain kept a "wild boy" named Peter....
Wasn't there a major silver mine in the forest where the Wildman myth was prevalent? I think in the Harz Mountains or some such. Chris B's page also has some historical info. My only Wildman coins are copper...
I have a thread on these that explains some of the history. https://www.cointalk.com/threads/my-wildman-addiction.318099/
FYI - there was an entire Wildman thaler collector exhibit at this year's ANA WofM show. Very interesting to see in person and 'explained'.
I spent a semester at the Technische Universitat Clausthal in the 80s. It was in the mining region of the Harz Mountains and where many of the Wildemann coins were minted. I did hear about the Wildman legend while there. I was an active US collector then but had yet to become interested in German States. Oh, the numismatic stuff that was nearby that I missed But I did play on basketball club and drank lots of good beer.
German States coinage would be impossible to have a complete collection. Even Putin with his $trillions could not afford that. Friedbergs book on gold coinage/ 20 % is from Germany/ States. Would be even more for Silver coinage.
There are a lot of German coins that I like, from medieval bracteats to Weimar Republic silver coins, but I just have to leave them be. It’s such a huge field of coinage. I’d like to have some of the common gold 10 Mark coins from the late 19th/early 20th century, and perhaps a set of Weimar silver 5 Marks, but leave the rest to someone with a bigger vault. I still think the Eichbaum and Zeppelin silver coins are among the finest coins produced in the 20th century. Do you have a favorite period for German coins, John?
Those are nice, but I think have a somewhat flat relief and lack detail. I like the design this 1914 one Mark coin more.
My fav. German States coins are from Regensburg/ here is one of mine/ struck under HRE Franz II circa 1795. These "City View" AV coin series were struck from 1he Quarter Dukat to the massive 30 Dukaten. Mine is an affordable AV Dukat.
