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1 Ducat - George II Harz - Mining Ducat
| Issuer | Electorate of Hanover |
|---|---|
| Year | 1730-1756 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 3.49 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | GEORG II D G M BR F & H REX F D B & L DVX S R I A TH & EL |
| Reverse description | The prancing white horse of Hanover (the Niedersachsenross) rearing to the left on a rocky ground line, rendered in fine relief against a smooth field, serving as the traditional emblem of the House of Hanover and symbol of the Harz mining region. The motto legend NEC ASPERA TERRENT (Difficulties do not frighten) arcs above the horse. Below the ground line, a horizontal rule separates the exergue inscription EX AVRO HERC (struck from Harz gold), the date 1756, and the mintmaster's initials I.B.H. |
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| Additional information |
Harz Mountain ducats were struck from silver-extracted gold — a byproduct of the lead-silver smelting process at the Clausthal and Zellerfeld mines, where trace gold was recovered from the ore and delivered directly to the mint as a mark of regional production pride. George II, as both Elector of Hanover and King of Great Britain, maintained tight control over Harz mining revenues, which fed directly into Hanoverian state finances largely independent of the British crown. These pieces were never intended for general commerce.
Müseler's exhaustive cataloguing of German mining coins establishes several die variants across the 1730–1756 run at Clausthal mint.