Saxony, John George II., 1656-1680, Jeton 1677, so called Rechenpfennig

Monogram above coat of arms of Saxony and Brandenburg.

Monogram above coat of arms of Saxony and Denmark.

Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Frederick I, 1680-1691, Reichstaler 1690 IT

So-called Familientaler

Obv.Medallion with bust of Frederick I surrounded by similar ones of his brothers

Rev.Coat of arms

Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Ernest Louis, 1772-1804, Thaler 1774

(=2/3 Conventionthaler)

Obv.Cuir. bust r.

Rev.Crowned coat of arms held by two crowned lions

Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Ernest Louis, 1772-1804, Thaler 1775

Obv.Bust r.

Rev.Crowned coat of arms surrounded by palm- and laureltwig

The last type of thaler minted in the "Old Mint" in Gotha. The mint stopped its business in 1776 after 125 years of service.

It was most likely closed due to a high circulation of coins in the duchy and the maintenance of a mint was therefore very unprofitable.

Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Frederick I., 1680-1690, Off-Metal Strike of a Double Ducat 1690

Obv.Bust r. with laurel wreath

Rev.Tiered busts of his sons Frederick II and John William

Historical

This very rare silver off-metal strike from the stamps of a double ducat is proof of the concept for the monetary policy by Frederick I: He promoted the mint in Gotha, had it legally recognized and recruited qualified personnel.

Thus, the Gotha mint reached an unlikely coin volume (over 100 different types) in the years around 1690 and became the most productive mint in Thuringia.

Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Frederick II, 1691-1732, Off-Metal Strike of a Ducat 1732

On the occasion of his death

Obv.: Bust r.

Rev.: 11 lines of text beneath arched line

Historical

This extremely rare off-metal strike from the stamps of a ducat of 1732 illustrates the atmosphere in the mint of Gotha in those years: The die-cutter of the offered piece Johann Christian Koch had been officially appointed as a medalist to the court and thus had no formal relationship to the mint.

Nonetheless, he kept competing against the mintmaster and coin-maker Christian Wermuth, who had also been his teacher. So with this piece: In the form of a ducat and engraved with the image of the Duke and yet without the right weight and never planned as an official issue.
 

This rivalry fertilized the work of the two artists and made Gotha such a die cutter stronghold.

Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Frederick I., 1680-1691, Thaler 1691 IT

On the occasion of his death

Die by Christian Wermuth

Obv.Cuir. and drap. bust r.

Rev.Circle of coat of arms surrounding 8 lines of writing.

Historical

In 1691, at the age of 45, Duke Frederick I died of a stroke at Friedrichswerth Palace.

He commissioned this pleasure palace in 1677 and chose the village of Erffa as the building site. The construction work continued until 1689. With the inauguration, the village was renamed Friedrichswerth in honour of the builder.

After its completion, the castle served as a summer residence for the ducal family and was repeatedly a venue for splendid festivities and banquets over the centuries.

Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
Thaler 1673 MR
Ernst I (1640-1675)
Obv.: Crowned coat of arms surrounded by tendrils
Rev.: Symbolic representation: Wanderer is lead by an arm from the clouds.

Expand your collection with a thaler of the founder of the Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg line!

When the underaged Duke Frederick William III of Saxony-Altenburg died in 1672, his line died with him. Thus, the Altenburg inheritance dispute was triggered: The houses of Weimar and Gotha argued for the rule of the Principality.

After only a brief negotiations Ernest I of Gotha decided the matter for himself: he and his house got three quarters of the disputed territory and he called his line thereafter Saxony-Gotha-Altenburg. His eldest son Frederick I took over the government. With the incorporation of Altenburg he created the most important territorial state in Thuringia.

The allegorical image on the reverse of the coin offered refers to the events of 1672: The hand of God leads a wanderer - probably a personification of the house Gotha - through difficulties and obstacles - the inheritance dispute - to an idyllic garden - the principality of Altenburg.

Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg,
Imperial thaler 1675
Ernst I (1640-1675), called "The Pious"
On his death
Av.: Armored bust with lace collar and coat r.
Rs.: 9 lines of writing in the heraldic circle, around it inscription

New at Emporium: The Reichstaler for the death of the founder of the line Saxony-Gotha-Altenburg

Ernest I came from the noble family of the Ernestine Wettins. His father was John III of Saxe-Weimar, his mother Dorothea Maria of Anhalt. He was born in 1601 and was the ninth son of his parents.

Due to the large number of his brothers (the famous Eight Brothers of Saxony) and the resulting disputes over the inheritance of the father, Ernest came quite late to his rule. Only in 1640 - his father had died in 1605 - he agreed with his brothers William IV and Albert on the division of the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar. He received Saxony-Gotha.

In 1643 he began the construction of Friedenstein Castle as a befitting residence in Gotha (completed in 1654), one of the largest newly built palaces in Germany during the Thirty Years' War.

In 1650 he set up a new mint for his duchy. Ernst wanted above all to demonstrate his sovereignty over his brothers and relatives, because there was only sporadic mintage in Gotha.

In 1672 he named his line Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, after he could decide the inheritance dispute of Altenburg for himself and thus created the most important territorial state of Thuringia.

He died in 1675 at the age of 74 years. His eldest son, Frederick I, succeeded him as ruler of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.

Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Frederick I, 1680-1690, 1 1/2 Thaler n.d.

Obv.: Cuir. bust r.

Rev.: Crown and sceptre on lavish cushion

Historical

This very rare silver 1 1/2 thaler is proof of the concept for the monetary policy by Frederick I: He promoted the mint in Gotha, had it legally recognized and recruited qualified personnel.

Thus, the Gotha mint reached an unlikely coin volume (over 100 different types) in the years around 1690 and became the most productive mint in Thuringia.