Catalog
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| Issuer | Lübeck, Free Hanseatic city of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1590-1594 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Silver |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Double-headed imperial eagle displayed, with both heads crowned and surmounted by a single large imperial crown at the top. On the eagle's breast sits a circular orb bearing the numeral 32 (or 3Z), denoting the Thaler's valuation in Kreuzer. The encircling Latin legend around the inner beaded border carries the titles of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II. The overall composition reflects the standard imperial Reichsthaler reverse type of the late sixteenth century. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Lübeck's thaler production in the early 1590s coincided with the city's increasingly precarious position within the Hanseatic League — trade volumes through the Baltic were contracting under pressure from Dutch competition, and the city council was navigating costly disputes over toll rights on the Sound. The thalers of this period served the city's merchant class as much as its treasury, circulating widely in northern European trade networks where Lübeck's civic credit still carried weight.
Behr 121b distinguishes a specific die variant within this short emission window. The five-year span of the dating range likely reflects continuous use of paired dies rather than annual re-engraving, a common economy among the smaller imperial city mints.