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1 Thaler - Christoph
| Issuer | Ratzeburg, Bishopric of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1581 |
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| Diameter | 42 mm |
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| Obverse description | Ornately shaped quartered heraldic shield bearing the arms of Ratzeburg as central inescutcheon, superimposed upon two crossed croziers in saltire, with a bishop's mitre positioned above the shield. The date 15-81 is divided by the shield on either side. The entire device is rendered in high relief with fine Gothic heraldic detail characteristic of late sixteenth-century German coinage. The encircling legend in Latin runs along the outer border. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Christoph von Qualen served as Bishop of Ratzeburg from 1576 until his death in 1585, presiding over a see that had been effectively Lutheran in practice since the mid-sixteenth century despite retaining its Catholic administrative structure — a quiet contradiction typical of the post-Reformation north German ecclesiastical territories. The Bishopric's coinage output was sparse, making issues from his episcopate genuinely scarce rather than artificially so.
Davenport's attribution GT I#9676 places this squarely within the broader north German taler series of the period, but Ratzeburg's small size and limited mint activity kept production volumes low.