Augustus II, called the Younger (August der Jüngere), was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. In the estate division of the House of Welf of 1635, he received the Principality of Wolfenbüttel which he ruled until his death. Considered one of the most literate princes of his time, he is known for founding the Herzog August Library at his Wolfenbüttel residence, then the largest collection of books and manuscripts north of the Alps. He is an important part of German history. He first came on my radar because of my fascination with Wildman coins. August II had a plethora of Wildman coins minted in his name. I have done presentations, exhibits, etc on Wildman coins enough times that it almost feels like I knew him. This is a recent acquisition that I have had on my radar for at least a year. It just made sense to add a Thaler commemorating his death to my collection since I have so many minted during his life. Here is my description: Obverse: Legend in 11 lines Obverse Translation: Born April 10 1579 during the lead but accompanies his years of work. Died September 17 1666. Lived 87 years, 5 months and 7 days Reverse: Bare tree with skull at base Reverse Translation: Happy about the green foliage. So the glory of the world. dells. The advice of all things, not only to the provident and active. Subject: Death of August II Mint: Zellerfeld Mintmaster: Most likely Henning Schluter Note: Dav. #6376. Composition: Silver I used Google translate for the legend translation. I’m sure it is close but as you can see it is kind of clunky. Anybody out there that wants to give a better suggestion for the translation, feel free. As you can see this piece has a Halloween kind of vibe to it so it seemed like the perfect time to close the deal on one. Please share any Halloween related coins or anything to do with Augustus II.
What a great piece, and a perfect addition for your collection. I love that it's a chronogramm, and the timing/motif sure are convenient. thanks for sharing!
Wow - an excellent addition! That issue has been on my wish list for many years. Interesting legend...... am curious if anybody can offer a deeper meaning. The taler I picked up in August was struck to commemorate his 88th birthday 4 months before he passed.
I figured I would add another Halloween related piece. This is a recent purchase from @lordmarcovan We kind of swapped some pieces back and forth and I ended up with this one. LIÈGE: AE charity token, 1686, Eklund-85, charity token of the Chapter of Saint Lambert, Used for the receiving of food during feast day celebrations Obverse: ¾ facing skull without jawbone left with ANNIVERSARIVM 1686 around Reverse: two crossed bones with flames above and below and ECCLESI LEODI around Diameter: 20mm
