August the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, was one of the most learned bibliophiles of seventeenth-century Europe — his personal library at Wolfenbüttel ultimately grew to over 130,000 volumes, forming the nucleus of what is now the Herzog August Bibliothek. The thalers struck in his name during 1652–1655 came near the end of his long reign, which had itself survived the worst of the Thirty Years' War largely through careful neutrality and diplomatic maneuvering that spared Wolfenbüttel the devastation visited on neighboring territories.
Dav ST#6351 distinguishes this issue within a crowded field of Brunswick ducal thalers; the Welter and Fiala references further subdivide known die marriages across the four-year run.
August the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, was one of the most learned bibliophiles of seventeenth-century Europe — his personal library at Wolfenbüttel ultimately grew to over 130,000 volumes, forming the nucleus of what is now the Herzog August Bibliothek. The thalers struck in his name during 1652–1655 came near the end of his long reign, which had itself survived the worst of the Thirty Years' War largely through careful neutrality and diplomatic maneuvering that spared Wolfenbüttel the devastation visited on neighboring territories.
Dav ST#6351 distinguishes this issue within a crowded field of Brunswick ducal thalers; the Welter and Fiala references further subdivide known die marriages across the four-year run.