Catalog
1 Thaler 'Wendentaler'
| Issuer | Lüneburg, City of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1544 |
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| Currency | Thaler |
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| Obverse description | Three heraldic shields arranged in a trefoil formation, representing the arms of Lübeck, Hamburg, and Lüneburg respectively, with a rampant lion facing left at center where the shields converge. The date is divided among the three shield groupings within the field. A circular Latin legend surrounds the design. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Lüneburg's wealth in the sixteenth century rested almost entirely on salt — the city controlled the Lüneburg Heath brine springs that supplied much of northern Europe, and the Wendentaler was struck directly from that commercial dominance. The "Wenden" reference ties to the Slavic populations historically associated with the region's salt trade routes, embedding a layer of mercantile and ethnic history into the coin's very name.
By 1544 the city was navigating the competing pressures of the Reformation and its uneasy relationship with the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, whose dukes periodically contested municipal minting rights.