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11/4 Thaler - Ernest August
| Issuer | Brunswick-Lüneburg-Calenberg |
|---|---|
| Year | 1680 |
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| Currency | Thaler |
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| Obverse description | Central field displays the elaborate multi-quartered coat of arms of Brunswick-Lüneburg, flanked by ornate baroque cartouche supporters and surmounted by a tall grouped achievement of five helmets with their respective crests, including a spread eagle at the apex. The shield incorporates the arms of multiple territories including Brunswick, Lüneburg, Westphalia, and others in rich high-relief engraving. Mint initials appear in the lower field. The circular Latin legend reading ERNEST AUGUSTUS D G EPISC OSN DUX BR E LU runs along the entire periphery, separated by a milled border edge. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Ernest August became Bishop of Osnabrück in 1661 and ruled Calenberg from 1679, spending much of his early reign maneuvering for the one prize that consumed him: hereditary electoral status for his line. The 1680 date places this coin in the immediate aftermath of his acquisition of Calenberg, before the Imperial grant of the ninth electorate in 1692 finally elevated Brunswick-Lüneburg to Electoral dignity. That campaign cost enormous sums in diplomacy and outright bribery at the Imperial court, and large silver issues of this period were not incidental — they were instruments of prestige projection.
The Davenport 235 attribution confirms the large thaler classification, with the 11/4 designation indicating a coin struck to one-and-a-quarter thaler weight — a denomination used to signal ambition as much as monetary function.