2 Thalers

Bremen struck this heavy double thaler in 1657 during one of the city's most precarious periods of independence. The Peace of Westphalia in 1648 had technically confirmed Bremen's status as a Free Imperial City, but Sweden — which had been granted the surrounding Archbishopric of Bremen as war spoils — spent the following decade applying sustained pressure on the city's autonomy. This coin exists squarely within that standoff.

The Jungk 490 designation distinguishes it from closely related die pairings in the series. At nearly 59 grams, these pieces circulated awkwardly in daily trade and likely functioned more as presentation or diplomatic currency than pocket change.