German States (Brunswick Wolfenbuttel) 1600 Silver Thaler Dav# 6285 about VF Ex Batavia shipwreck
| We Last Sold This Item For: | $2,250.00 |
|---|---|
| Last Sold On: | 21/4/2021 |
| # Sold In Past 12 Months: | 0 |
German States (Brunswick Wolfenbuttel) 1600 Silver Thaler Dav# 6285 about VF Ex Batavia shipwreck
Obverse: Wildman of the woods standing, holding a tree trunk. Legend and date around. [HONESTUM PRO PATRIAE 1600] "Honorable For My Country 1600."
Reverse: Coronate shield, legend around. [HENRICUS IULIUS DG PEP HA DUX BRUN ET L] "Heinrich Julius by the Grace of God, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg."
Diameter: 39.83mm | Weight: 27.78g
Australian Commonwealth Government Artefact Number # 53058
Fantastic detail on this rare coin from one of the world’s most historic shipwrecks.
If you haven't heard of the Batavia shipwreck, you truly have missed out on a story of depravity and barbarity that is known the world over. Not only is the story of the mutiny, wreck and recovery of the Batavia an incredible tale, but the coins recovered from it are also incredibly rare.
Just 1,442 coins recovered from the Batavia shipwreck can be legally owned - WA Museum research shows that only 15% of those are thought to be in "collectable" condition.
The tale of the Batavia also has consequences for the known history of white settlement in Australia - throw in a good measure of controversy surrounding the discovery of the wreck in 1963, and you have a yarn with so many threads you will want to learn every aspect of this story for months to come.
The coins recovered from the Batavia were mainly silver Rijksdaalders of the United Netherlands and the Spanish Netherlands and a wide variety of Talers from the German States, cities and bishoprics of the Holy Roman Empire under the authority of the emperor who was elected from the Arch Dukes of Austria.
This particular coin from the wreck of the Batavia was struck in the German state of Brunswick Wolfenbuttel, at one of the mints in the Harz mountains, in Germany's far north.
While many of the coins from the Batavia feature designs including knights, castles, eagles and gryphons, the "Wildman Thaler" stands out from them all, with a reverse theme that dates back centuries.
The "wild man of the woods" is a mythical figure in European folklore that is referred to in various forms and cultures as far back as 350 BC. "Civilized" citizens regarded wild men as beings of the wilderness, beings that represented the antithesis of civilization. Scholars state that "...the wild man represents the edge of civilization - the place inhabited by hunters, criminals, religious hermits, herdsmen, and others who frequent the margins of human activity." It is apt then that in Northern Germany, the wild man of the woods was also used as a symbol of mining. The town of Wildemann in the Upper Harz was founded in 1529 by miners who, according to legend, met a wild man and wife when they first ventured into the wilds of the Harz range.
This coin remains a tangible link to one of the world’s most famous shipwrecks, as well as to the ancient mineral wealth of Northern Europe.
If you'd like to learn more about the background to the historic shipwreck that this coin was recovered from, click this link to read our article.
SKU: 208531
Browse our catalog of Batavia Shipwreck Coins below:
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