10 Thalers - Ernest August

Ernest August came to the Hanoverian throne in 1837 under immediate controversy — his first act was to dissolve the liberal constitution of 1833, triggering a constitutional crisis that drew condemnation across Europe and prompted the famous protest of the Göttingen Seven, a group of professors that included the Brothers Grimm. His coinage was produced throughout a reign defined by that reactionary posture.

The .986 fineness is notably high, consistent with Hanoverian gold standards that predated the later German monetary consolidations. Ernest August died in November 1851; this type ceased production several years before his death, with 1848 an apt closing year given what was consuming the German states by then.