Joachim Ernest was the first Prince of Anhalt following the 1570 partition treaty that reunified the scattered Anhalt territories under a single administration — briefly, as it turned out, since the lands were subdivided again among his sons after his death in 1586. His thalers were struck across several mints during this window, and the MB#31 designation encompasses a series with minor die variations that specialists continue to untangle. The short unified reign makes the date range on this type significant: anything struck after 1586 belongs to one of the successor lines.
Joachim Ernest was the first Prince of Anhalt following the 1570 partition treaty that reunified the scattered Anhalt territories under a single administration — briefly, as it turned out, since the lands were subdivided again among his sons after his death in 1586. His thalers were struck across several mints during this window, and the MB#31 designation encompasses a series with minor die variations that specialists continue to untangle. The short unified reign makes the date range on this type significant: anything struck after 1586 belongs to one of the successor lines.