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1 Thaler - Julius Lichttaler
| Issuer | Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Principality of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1577 |
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| Composition | Silver |
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| Reverse description | A wildman striding to the left, depicted in the tradition of late Renaissance German coinage, holding an upright lit candle in his raised right hand and a tree trunk in his left hand. The motif alludes to the coin's popular designation as the Lichttaler (candle thaler), embodying the motto of self-consuming service. The date 1577 appears at the top of the field within the surrounding single-line circular legend, which is punctuated by stops and enclosed within a beaded border. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, introduced this Lichttaler type in 1577 as part of a deliberate monetary reform following his consolidation of the duchy after the Schmalkaldic-era disruptions. The "Licht" designation — meaning light — refers not to weight but to purity: Julius was insistent on a silver standard that outperformed many contemporary North German taler issues, a policy tied directly to his ambitions for Brunswick as a regional commercial center.
Julius founded the University of Helmstedt in 1576, the year before this coin's issue, and the financial infrastructure he built around consistent, trustworthy coinage was integral to funding that project and his broader administrative program.