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1 Thaler - William VI Schiffstaler
| Issuer | Hesse-Cassel |
|---|---|
| Year | 1652-1655 |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Central device depicts a large three-masted sailing ship rendered in fine baroque detail, shown underway with full sails billowing, riding stylized waves in the field. The vessel is depicted with rigging, flags, and cannon ports visible along the hull. The entire design is enclosed within a beaded inner border. The Latin legend VELA VENTIS HIS LEVANTUR ('These sails are lifted by the winds') surrounds the ship, distributed across the upper and lower portions of the coin's circumference. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central device consists of a large seven-fold quartered coat of arms of Landgrave William VI of Hesse-Cassel, displaying the heraldic devices of his various titles including the lion of Hesse and the striped arms of Thuringia among others, set within an elaborate baroque cartouche with scrollwork and foliate ornament. The shield is surmounted by a princely crown. The date 1655 is divided by the shield, with '16' to the upper left and '55' to the lower right. The circumferential Latin legend, giving the Landgrave's full titles, runs between a beaded inner border and the milled edge. |
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| Additional information |
William VI ruled Hesse-Cassel from 1637 until his death in 1663, presiding over a territory still recovering from the devastation of the Thirty Years' War. The Schiffstaler — ship thaler — belongs to a tradition of large commemorative-style thalers minted by German princes as much for display and diplomatic gift-giving as for everyday commerce. Hesse-Cassel's participation in this genre reflects the landgrave's effort to project stability and dynastic legitimacy in the immediate postwar decades, when the principality's finances remained severely strained.
Davenport's listing under ST#6783 places this among the "ship thalers" as a distinct subcategory, acknowledging the type's semi-commemorative character.