Magdeburg Reformation Thaler
The Magdeburg Reformation Thaler is a commemorative coin of the city of Magdeburg to mark the 100th anniversary of Martin Luther's 95 theses that triggered the Reformation .
In 1617 the Reformation was commemorated in the Protestant parts of Germany. The city of Magdeburg brought out a thaler that shows the half-length portrait of the reformers Jan Hus and Martin Luther. On the other side is the double-headed, crowned imperial eagle, which is covered with the Magdeburg city coat of arms.
On the side with the reformers is the abbreviated Latin inscription: CENT (um) ANN (is) REU (olutis) DEO ET MIHI RESP (ondebitis) UAT (icinium) IOAN (nnis) HUSSII A (nn) O 1415 COMB (usti) // HIS LAP (sis) DM (artinus) LUTHER (us) AD REP (urgandam) DOCT (rinam) COE (litus) A DEO EXCIT (atus) A (nn) o 1517 (“When a hundred years have passed, you will God and me give an answer. Prophecy of Johannes Hus, who was burned in 1415. - When these [hundred years] were over, D. Martin Luther was called by God from heaven to purify the teaching in 1517 ”).
The side with the imperial eagle is inscribed: MO (neta) NO (va) REIP (ublicae) MAGDE (burgensis) DE IVBILÆO A (nn) o C 1617 ("New coin of the city of Magdeburg for the 100th anniversary in 1617" ).
The Magdeburg Reformation Thaler was issued in the following denominations: half thaler, thaler and double thaler. The thalers can still be found relatively often in different stamp variants. Half thalers are rare. So far, only one copy of the double thaler has been found. The auction price (excluding the auction premium) was 38,000 euros. A report by Friedrich Wilhelm Hoffmann about a fourfold Reformation thaler is possibly inaccurate, at least no copy is known to this day.
Web links
- Image of the thaler (muenzenwoche.de, May 22, 2014)