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!
3 Thalers - Christian Louis
| Issuer | Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle |
|---|---|
| Year | 1663 |
| 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 | Central field bears the crowned interlaced monogram of Duke Christian Louis within a laurel wreath. Surrounding the wreath is a ring of fourteen small armorial shields representing the dynastic and territorial claims of the duke. At the bottom of the design, the denomination numeral flanked by the initials of the issuing authority appears in the field. The composition is executed in high relief consistent with the large-module multiple thaler format. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The wildman (Wilder Mann), traditional heraldic supporter of the Brunswick-Lüneburg dynasty, stands facing in full figure at center, nude save for a girdle of foliage about his waist, his long hair and beard rendered in fine detail. In his right hand he grasps a uprooted tree trunk used as a staff, planted firmly in the ground before him. Behind him stretches a detailed panoramic mining landscape with miners, equipment, and terrain rendered in fine engraved perspective, referencing the mineral wealth of the Harz region. The Latin motto SINCERE ET CONSTANTER arcs around the upper field, with the date AO: 1663 completing the legend at right. The whole is framed by a beaded border. |
| 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 |
Christian Louis, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, ruled the Celle line of the fractured Welf territories at a moment when the dynasty was actively consolidating its claims across the Lower Saxon Circle. The 3 Thaler denomination — a substantial multiple requiring a significant silver blank — was not intended for commerce. These pieces functioned as presentation coins, diplomatic gifts, and demonstrations of ducal ambition at a time when the Welfs were maneuvering toward the electoral dignity they would finally secure in 1692, nearly three decades after this coin was struck.
The Müseler reference places this squarely within the documented mining-related coinage of the Harz region, where Brunswick-Lüneburg silver production underpinned the dynasty's wealth and political leverage. At 80mm across, the planchet preparation alone demanded considerable skill from the Celle mint staff.