Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1 Thaler Wespentaler - Henry Julius
| Issuer | Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Principality of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1599 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Complex heraldic composition featuring a total of twelve shields of arms: three small escutcheons arranged in a triangular cluster at center (two above, one below), surrounded by nine additional small shields of arms distributed around the periphery of the field. The full titles of Heinrich Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, appear in the circumferential legend, interrupted by the date split as 15-99. The arrangement reflects the multiple territorial claims and dynastic holdings of the issuer in a dense, characteristic late-Renaissance heraldic style. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | •HENRICUS JULIUS•D•GPE•HA•D•B•E•T•L•15•99.P•P•C |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Henry Julius of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was an unusual figure among German princes — trained theologian, playwright, and one of the earliest patrons of professional theatre in the German-speaking world. The "Wespentaler" nickname derives from the wasps appearing on the coin, a direct reference to his bitter feud with the city of Brunswick, which had resisted ducal authority for decades. The wasps were not subtle: they were a public declaration of intent, minted in silver and circulated as political messaging.
The dispute with Brunswick dragged on until imperial intervention in 1606, when the city was finally subordinated to ducal control.