Special Collection Franconian Circle at Heidelberger Münzhandlung

Heidelberger Münzhandlung presents rare German coins of excellent quality and, in addition,an extensive offer of world coins from antiquity to modern times. Besides remarkableindividual lots, connoisseurs will find a special collection with specimens from theFranconian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire.

From 9 to 11 May 2022, Heidelberger Münzhandlung will hold its auction 84. The material isdivided into two catalogues. The first one contains 429 lots with coins and medals from theFranconian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. The second catalogue is filled with world coinsfrom antiquity to present times. As always, there is an extensive offer of coins from theGerman states and German issues after 1871, but collectors of coins from the Holy RomanEmpire will also find many rarities. Particularly impressive is the selection of Germanmultiple gold coins of magnificent quality.

Attention! Once again, the auction will be held as a live bidding event at the premises ofHeidelberger Münzhandlung. Bidders may only participate via email, phone or online.

No. 143 - Eichstätt. Sede vacante. Konventionstaler 1781, Nuremberg. Extremely fine.Estimate: 1,500 euros.

An Interesting Local Collection from the Area of the Franconian Circle
To simplify administrative matters, the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation wasdivided into circles, which grouped imperial cities, imperial knights, ecclesiastical and secularprincipalities into geographical units. The Franconian Circle was one of the most prestigiousones, which is why it was listed as circle number 1 in the course of the imperial reform of 2July 1500.

The collector focused his purchases to members of the Franconian Circle, but he did notslavishly adhere to its boundaries. And that is precisely why this collection provides anexcellent overview of the coin and medal production at the heart of Germany.

No. 174 - Henneberg. Taler 1698, yield from the mines of Ilmenau. Rare. Extremely fine.Estimate: 2,000 euros.

Issues from the following regions are on offer: Bamberg, Bavaria (issues related toFranconia), Brandenburg-Franconia, Brandenburg-Ansbach, Brandenburg-Bayreuth, theTeutonic Order starting with the election of Maximilian as Deutschmeister in 1590, Eichstätt,Erbach, Fulda, Henneberg, ...

No. 201 - Hohenlohe-Kirchberg. Karl August, 1737-1767. Taler 1737, Nuremberg,commemorating the death of his father Friedrich Eberhard. About FDC. Estimate: 3,000euros.

... Hohenlohe with its various lines, Kronach, Leuchtenberg, Löwenstein, Mainz, Nuremberg,Öttingen, Rieneck, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Saxe-Coburg and other Saxon lines ...

No. 316 - Schwarzenberg. Johann Adolph, 1641-1683. Taler 1682, Vienna. Extremely rare.Extremely fine. Estimate: 5,000 euros.

... Schwarzenberg, Schweinfurt, Weißenburg, Windsheim, Würzburg as well as joint issues ofthe Franconian Circle and literature on the subject. On the same day, general numismaticliterature from the second part of auction 84 will be on sale.

No. 543 - Maximianus Herculius. Gold quinarius. Depeyrot 417 (only 1 specimen in thepossession of a museum). Mint state. Estimate: 20,000 euros.

Ancient and World Coins
On the morning of 10 May, the second part of auction 84 will start with ancient coins. Asalways, the offer includes some rarities of splendid quality. These include three Celtic quarterstarters from the Middle Rhine and two octodrachms of Ptolemy IV. Moreover, collectors willfind a gold quinarius (!) of Maximianus Herculius - an extremely rare specimen of mint statequality. Depeyrot only knows of one other specimen in the possession of a museum.

No. 549 - Artabasdus, 742-743. Solidus. Extremely rare. Very fine. Estimate: 20,000euros.

At least as rare is a solidus of the Byzantine usurper Artabasdus. In his German standard workon Byzantine coinage, Andreas Sommer writes: This is due to the fact that the Armeniangeneral, who ascended the throne as a figurehead of those who were in favour of images, wasdefeated by Constantine V after only a few months.

No. 677 - Romania. Carol II, 1930-1940. 100 lei 1939, Bucharest, commemorating the100th birthday of Charles I. Extremely rare. Extremely fine. Estimate: 125,000 euros.

In all likelihood, a gold 100 lei piece of 1939, minted by Carol II of Romania in this crucialyear of his reign, must be described as an unpublished and unique specimen. The impressivedenomination must probably be understood against the background of the personality cult ofCarol II. Every year, Carol had himself celebrated by his people on 10 May and 8 June. Hepresented himself as the Conducator (= leader) sent by God, whose purpose in life was tocreate a new Romania.

No. 950 - Augsburg. 6 ducats 1763, commemorating the Treaty of Hubertusburg. Extremelyfine. Estimate: 35,000 euros.

Coins from the German States
If you know Heidelberger Münzhandlung, you know that especially collectors of coins fromthe German States will find a wealth of interesting objects. In addition to interesting talers ofexceptional quality, this auction also offers many multiple gold coins, such as this splendid1763 Nuremberg issue that was minted to commemorate the Treaty of Hubertusburg.

No. 1067- Bavaria. Gold medal of 12 ducats, 1842, commemorating the wedding of Max IIJoseph and Marie of Prussia. Extremely rare. Extremely fine. Estimate: 20,000 euros.

Of interest for collectors of Bavarian and Prussian coins is a gold medal of 12 ducats issued in1842 on the occasion of the wedding of Max II Joseph, heir to the throne, and the PrussianPrincess Marie Friederike. By the way, this unconventional queen was the first femalemountaineer of the Bavarian royal house.

No. 1120 - Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Rudolph August, 1666-1685. Löser of 4 talers withvalue mark, 1679, Zellerfeld. From the Friedrich Wielandt Collection. Very rare. Extremelyfine. Estimate: 20,000 euros.

A 1679 löser of the Brunswick Duke Rudolph August comes from the collection of the well-known numismatist Prof Dr Friedrich Wielandt (1906-1996). However, the great scholar wasrather known for other research focuses. The former head of the Baden Coin Cabinet wasobviously of utmost importance for Baden numismatics. Moreover, he wrote numerousstandard works on the coinage of various Swiss cantons which are still used as referencestoday.

No. 1336 - Münster. Christoph Bernhard von Galen, 1650-1678. 6 ducats 1661,commemorating the caption of the city. From the Friedrich Wielandt Collection. Very rare.Extremely fine. Estimate: 20,000 euros.

Another piece from the Wielandt Collection is a magnificent 6 ducat coin from 1661 that wasminted to commemorate the capture of the city of Münster by its Prince-Bishop Bernhard vonGalen. The variety of this weight, by the way, is extremely rare. The coin features a detailedcity view of Münster with all fortifications and the towers of the major churches.

No. 1268 - Kempten. Half taler 1623. Very rare. Extremely fine to mint state. Estimate:6,000 euros.

This 1623 half taler of the imperial city of Kempten is an example for the splendid quality thatconnoisseurs can find in Heidelberger Münzhandlung's catalogue. The very rare specimen isextremely fine to mint state.

No. 1388 - Prussia. Frederick II, 1740-1786. Taler 1781, Breslau. ,commemorating the 42th birthday of minister Karl Georg Heinrich von Hoym. Extremelyrare. About extremely fine. Estimate: 35,000 euros.

Another specimen of outstanding quality is the so-called featuring the portraitof Frederick the Great. The piece, which was minted in Breslau and gives the date of the 42thbirthday of Karl Georg Heinrich von Hoym - the minister ruling in Silesia - was reprimandedby the king. The Berlin government forced the Breslau mint master to withdraw all coins ofthis issue, which is why the Hoym taler is now one of the great rarities of Prussiannumismatics.

No. 1660 - German Empire. 1 mark 1881 G. Extremely rare in this quality. FDC. Estimate:9,000 euros.

German Coins After 1871
Customers of Heidelberg Münzhandlung are already used to it: Herbert Grün's catalogueoffers an extensive selection of coins from the German Empire. Although the estimates ofindividual, extremely rare pieces - such as this FDC 1 mark piece of 1881 from the Karlsruhemint - are in the upper four-digit range, this area still offers many highly interesting coins ofsplendid quality for rather modest prices. The estimates of fractional coins from the GermanEmpire start in the lower two-digit range!

No. 1740 - German Empire. Baden. 5 marks 1876. Extremely rare in this quality. Specimenfrom the Paproth Collection! First strike in proof quality. Estimate: 12,000 euros.

Of course, Heidelberger Münzhandlung also offers great rarities - and presents specimens ofa quality that leave nothing to be desired. A great example is this 5 marks piece from Badenof 1876 that also has an exquisite provenance: it is from the Paproth Collection.

No. 2307 - German Empire. Saxe-Meiningen. 20 marks 1914. Very rare, only 1001specimens minted. Extremely fine +. Estimate: 16,000 euros.

Of course, there is a comprehensive selection for collectors of coins from the German Empiretoo. As an example, we show you a 20 marks piece of 1914 from Saxe-Meiningen. A cointype of which only 1001 specimens were minted and a high number was probably melteddown again.

No. 2618 - Postage Stamp Token of the Carl Squires company with a stamp of 10 pfennigs. Extremely fine. Estimate: 50 euros.

The auction closes with a collection of postage stamp tokens - a category betweennumismatics and philately. It is emergency money that uses a stamp as a substitute for smallchange. To protect the stamp, it was enclosed in a capsule that was often adorned withadvertising slogans of the issuing institution. In other words: these items are virtually thedescendants of English tokens.

The auction catalogue of Heidelberger Münzhandlung can be purchased for the nominal fee of12.50 euros at Heidelberger Münzhandlung Herbert Grün, Gaisbergstr. 40, 69115 Heidelberg,Germany; phone: +49 / 6221 / 65 2970; fax: +49 / 6221 / 65 297-29; email:kontakt@hdmhg.de. Of course, the catalogue is also available online: on Sixbid, biddr.comand Numisbids.

For more information, see:
https://hdmhg.de/