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3 Thalers - Rudolph Augustus
| Issuer | Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (German States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1676 |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of August Friedrich, Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, facing right, flanked by palm and laurel branches. Two angels appear above, each holding a heraldic helmet. The lower field is filled with dynastic arms and military flags or trophies, with the stamped denomination inscribed below. The composition is richly baroque in style, with the heraldic and allegorical elements framing the effigy in a symmetrical arrangement. |
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| Reverse description | The reverse bears a twenty-two line Latin funerary inscription filling the entire field, commemorating the life and death of August Friedrich. The text records his birth on 24 August 1657 (NAT: XXIV. AUG. AN. M.DClvii), notes his remarkable piety, wisdom, and virtue, references his betrothal by Georg Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and records his premature death on 22 August 1676 at Philippsburg (REPTIIT D. XXII. AUG. AN. M.DC.LXXVI). The inscription concludes with a lament to parents, family, and fatherland: PARENTIBVS FAMILIAE PATRIAE, closing with the words SIC NVNC LVCTVS LACRY / MAE QVE ET DESO / LATIO. The entire text is surrounded by a rope or cable border. |
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| Additional information |
Rudolf August of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel struck multiple-thaler pieces during the 1670s as instruments of dynastic display rather than everyday commerce — these heavy silver coins circulated among courts and treasuries, not markets. The year 1676 places this issue squarely in the aftermath of the Franco-Dutch War, during which Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel furnished troops to the Dutch Republic, and ducal prestige was very much on the line.
At roughly three times the weight of a standard Reichsthaler, pieces like this were typically presentation strikes or gifts between ruling houses.