4 Thalers - August Löser, Death of August

August the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, died in 1666 at the age of 89 — one of the longest-lived rulers of his era and the man responsible for assembling what was then the largest private library in Europe at Wolfenbüttel. This piece belongs to the Löser tradition, a distinctly Brunswick phenomenon: massive multiple-thaler presentation strikes produced not for circulation but as diplomatic gifts and court premiums, their weight making them unsuitable for any commercial transaction.

The 4-Thaler Löser format placed these firmly in the upper register of ceremonial coinage. Death of a reigning duke was among the few occasions that warranted their striking.