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1/2 Thaler - John George I Centenary of the Reformation
| Issuer | Saxony (Albertinian Line), Electorate of |
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| Year | 1617 |
| Type | Commemorative circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | A standing female figure, personifying the Church or Queen of Sheba, is seated at left facing right, while King Solomon stands at right holding a scepter, the two figures engaged in audience. The date appears incorporated at the end of the encircling Latin legend. The composition references the biblical relationship between Solomon and his mother, alluding to the reforming piety of the Saxon court. |
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| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The 1617 Reformation centenary was among the first coordinated commemorative coin programs in German history, with multiple Saxon mints producing pieces simultaneously to mark the hundred-year anniversary of Luther's Ninety-Five Theses. John George I had strong personal and political reasons to sponsor the issue — Saxony's electoral dignity was inseparable from its identity as the cradle of Lutheranism, and the commemoration served dynastic as much as theological purposes.
Dresden and Leipzig both struck pieces for the occasion. Distinguishing the mint of origin on individual examples often comes down to subtle die characteristics rather than explicit mint marks.