Anna Salome von Salm-Reifferscheidt ruled as abbess of Essen from 1646 until her death in 1688, making this thaler a mid-tenure issue from one of the few Imperial abbeys with the right to strike its own coinage. Essen's mint authority derived from its status as an Imperial Abbey — the abbess held the rank of Imperial Princess and exercised the full minting privileges that came with it.
Thaler-weight silver from Essen is genuinely scarce by any mintage standard; the abbey's output was modest and intermittent throughout the seventeenth century.
Anna Salome von Salm-Reifferscheidt ruled as abbess of Essen from 1646 until her death in 1688, making this thaler a mid-tenure issue from one of the few Imperial abbeys with the right to strike its own coinage. Essen's mint authority derived from its status as an Imperial Abbey — the abbess held the rank of Imperial Princess and exercised the full minting privileges that came with it.
Thaler-weight silver from Essen is genuinely scarce by any mintage standard; the abbey's output was modest and intermittent throughout the seventeenth century.