Thaler Coinage of the Pre Empire German States - Chapter 18 Last posting (Chapter 17), listed under the letter B FOR Brunswick let us touch the Thaler coinage of the Pre Empire German Frie Stadt (Free State) of the Duchy Brunswick-Luneberg-Calenberg-Hannover. This Chapter (18) allows us to place before our eyes the Thaler coinage of the Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. The Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (German: Fürstentum Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel) was a subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg whose history was characterized by numerous divisions and reunifications. Various dynastic lines of the House of Welf ruled Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. For your information, this map shows where the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg is situated within the German territory (scroll to map on right of page): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel Let's look at all these coins which were squirreled away by a merchant located in the Principality of Wolfenbüttel. Duke August der Jungere (the Younger) ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel from 1635-1666 (Coin Archive photos unless noted otherwise). This silver Glockenthaler fills my hand at 41mm and is dated 1643. See: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=973760&AucID=905&Lot=1670&Val=4653de5801dcdbee1239c5a095ab426f 1643 1/4 Reichsthaler: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984784&AucID=916&Lot=1722&Val=98ce11ed922c2367fcb8431062f617f8 Wow! Look at this huge coin. Feel the heft; it measures 60mm and bears the date, 1655. It, too, is silver and is valued at 1 1/2 Reichstalern: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=973762&AucID=905&Lot=1672&Val=6085693dce15c9bf648e1ecc9ee69f2f Is this gold? Look at this. It's a gold Dukat dated 1680. Rudolf August was Duke. His dynasty ran from 1666 to 1704: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=973763&AucID=905&Lot=1673&Val=5d2914d933aafc4ccc1fc4798a50a24b Look here. This silver coin measures 48mm, is dated 1686 and was struck at the Zellerfeld Mint. Something you may not know about this Thaler coinage period; From 1685-1704 the Principality of Wolfenbüttel a.k.a Niedersachsen Braunschweig-Lüneburg-Wolfenbüttel came under the leadership of two Dukes (Rudolf August and Anton Ulrich): http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=973764&AucID=905&Lot=1674&Val=6010b1666bb3fae2c332accede28fcbf http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984806&AucID=916&Lot=1744&Val=c7117c0a5058ff8fa487f01627bbbc1a http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984810&AucID=916&Lot=1748&Val=9617220b8d20a050158cc96392dbb423 1692 RB 1/8 Reichsthaler: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984813&AucID=916&Lot=1751&Val=bddd99f14a8c5a8322cc40d4c37c9e73 1696 2/3 Thaler: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984818&AucID=916&Lot=1756&Val=8e3a16681b0596cca8736ee14394049b 1701 RB 1/2 Reichsthaler: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984821&AucID=916&Lot=1759&Val=2a3916d6b4c52540d633c9773d3fc4e0 1702 RB 1/4 Reichsthaler: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984825&AucID=916&Lot=1763&Val=ef9e45516cc9a669eec8f82ca321aa68 Here's a silver Thaler dated 1593that bears the image of Duke Heinrich Julius who governed Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel from 1589-1613: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=982815&AucID=915&Lot=2136&Val=49cf3479326ee3e36f3667b1d46ab81b This 1567 Reichsthaler was struck during the Heinrich der Jungere 54 years as Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Wolfenbüttel: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984739&AucID=916&Lot=1677&Val=37677b4f2ef4b84ad0b7229911fc06fb Brunswick-Lüneburg-Wolfenbüttel was under the Dukedom of Julius 1568-1589. This silver 1/2 Thaler was minted in 1571: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984740&AucID=916&Lot=1678&Val=e96f796da5efbb4d88acbba02674e0c2 This Reichsthaler was produced in 1580: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984741&AucID=916&Lot=1679&Val=2112ab83913c678c2295f5ee6fe4b4d7 This Reichsthaler was minted in 1586: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984742&AucID=916&Lot=1680&Val=ae33918e78d87a35ea3f06af1805d2a0 And this Reichsthaler in 1588: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984744&AucID=916&Lot=1682&Val=884319357bd78e02089681bd8fbed894 Here are some coins minted during Duke Heinrich's leadership, 1589-1613, (some are commemorative in nature): 1590 Reichsthaler: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984745&AucID=916&Lot=1683&Val=f22595fc1c6cc50fa6c532f10b23e7ba 1595 Reichsthaler: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984746&AucID=916&Lot=1684&Val=baba9b118b25fb7340f99c117450da90 1596 Reichsthaler: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984748&AucID=916&Lot=1686&Val=50fb2fdaeb771eb065b59d39c9825318 1597 Reichsthaler: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984749&AucID=916&Lot=1687&Val=f03119dbaebae7d1f0c23091d46a12f1 1601 1/2 Reichsthaler: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984757&AucID=916&Lot=1695&Val=cad9a69e2b3c6e50aef7921afe8efc0e 1602 Reuchsthaler: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984758&AucID=916&Lot=1696&Val=84b1f8f365ce7c17771cbd88c756160f 1611 1/4 Reichsthaler: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984764&AucID=916&Lot=1702&Val=653171cef538efa33c7a5f97a22ce2c4 Friedrich Ulrich inherited the Dukedom in 1613 and reigned until 1634. The following were struck during his watch: 1617 1/4 Reichsthaler: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984767&AucID=916&Lot=1705&Val=19a8b2cf56d0d534d22fc8b07a7f4286 1620 Reichsthaler: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984770&AucID=916&Lot=1708&Val=e7e784d77a3c0eca9066ac2d7d63decd 1623 1/2 Reichsthaler: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984772&AucID=916&Lot=1710&Val=3c203baace214bcd5519d12bc8ed54aa 1624 3 Reichsthaler (a.k.a. Löser: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984773&AucID=916&Lot=1711&Val=89a5da060ec4c436e963f982c6bda706 1624 1/8 Reichsthaler: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984775&AucID=916&Lot=1713&Val=6158276b1e1a86e934535ea6b4334f63 1624 Silver Mariengulden: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984776&AucID=916&Lot=1714&Val=36368f9b8ab011d7fa11e6cc7357aa5c Niedersachsen Braunschweig-Lüneburg-Wolfenbüttel when Herzogtum Christian, Bischof von Halberstadt, ruled (1617-1626): 1622 Reichsthaler: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984781&AucID=916&Lot=1719&Val=dd8836986a419393b75d68fa538f1b7 1666 1 1/2 Reichsthaler a.k.a. Löser: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984802&AucID=916&Lot=1740&Val=508e144fc8e50a11c17d765b91c66da4 1666 Reichsthaler: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984803&AucID=916&Lot=1741&Val=8bdb930971a7075fc44f227b2b9a1aab 1666 Reichsthaler - auf seinen Tod. 28.60 g. Schrift / Totenschädel am Fuß eines blätterlosen Baumes: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984804&AucID=916&Lot=1742&Val=09cf72a082901950b7a4bf6a4a89cb92 From 1666 to 1685 Rudolph August became leader of Niedersachsen Brunswick-Lüneburg-Wolfenbüttel. The following were minted during his tenure: 1673 IPE Reichsthaler: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=984805&AucID=916&Lot=1743&Val=2533c32b827afb18efb239486243816a Here's three photos of Pfennig coins minted in the Duchy of Brinswick-Wolfenbüttel: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=912176&AucID=672&Lot=578&Val=56073dfb38447ad56c7b31ca225ff386 http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=912200&AucID=672&Lot=602&Val=4963f562e84691c6ffbc49dc5afc7b5d http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=912221&AucID=672&Lot=623&Val=5c8e8df29d7df8bf3f362305d9a88510 Hope you enjoyed this trek through a medieval shop owner's coin stash located in the German Free State of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. To be continued... Clinker
Clinker great job, enjoyed it greatly. I've always been intrigued by the early Thaler's . Just not confident enough yet to dive into them, but they are on the list of knowledge in the future. Perhaps me learning German would help greatly
Hi Koinjester: Thanks for reading and commenting. No need to know German to collect Thalers. Numerals on German coins are in Arabic as to date and denomination, i.e. 1860 and 2 Thaler or 1/64 Thaler: whether collecting or investing as they contain silver. Clinker
