This is a piece that recently crossed my radar. German States Thalers are my primary collecting focus and the imagery on this one really appealed to me. I decided that I liked it but wanted to find one a little bit better. Well after a pretty thorough search I found that the condition of this one is pretty representative of the ones both available and recently sold. Actually, parts of the legend appear to be pretty sharp so I think most of the condition problems can mostly be explained by a weak/uneven strike. The look is very similar to the other ones I have seen.

Description and photo from the seller.

Obverse: Standing figure of St. George slaying dragon with lance, shield of old Mansfeld arms below in front
Obverse Legend: GEBHART. E. HANS. G. PET(ER). E. C. (D.) I M(A).
Reverse: Shield of new Mansfeld arms divides date, 2 ornate helmets above, date between helmets
Reverse Legend: MON(E). NO(VA). AR(G). (C.) C. ET. D. I. MAN(SF).
Reverse Legend Translation: New Silver Money, Count and Lords in Mansfeld

Note: Dav#9516; Ref. T#906-08, 910-12.

Composition: Silver

I haven’t seen many depictions of a standing St George slaying the dragon. The reverse is similar to other favorite pieces of mine as well.

The House of Mansfeld, whose members belonged to the Saxon nobility and served as counts in the Hassegau, was first documented in a 973 deed. The counts built Mansfeld Castle when one Hoyer of Mansfeld served as field marshal to Emperor Henry V. The first reference of the fortress coincides with the extinction of the elder line in 1229. The estates were inherited by the Lords of Querfurt, calling themselves Counts of Mansfeld from that time on.

The settlement of Mansfeld received town privileges in 1400 and grew through the development of copper and silver mining, an activity in which Hans Luder from Möhra, father to Martin Luther and Mansfeld citizen from 1484, was employed as a master smelter. Luther's family had arrived into a modest prosperity, he himself attended the local school between 1488 and 1496. The building known as "Luther's School" had to be torn down and rebuilt in 2000 due to structural problems. His parents' house is preserved and today a museum. Luther also acted as an altar server at the St George parish church.

The Counts of Mansfeld had already lost Imperial immediacy in 1580. When the comital line finally became extinct in 1780, the estates around Mansfeld were incorporated into the Prussian Duchy of Magdeburg. The town retained the status of an independent city, it was temporarily part of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Westphalia and after the 1815 Congress of Vienna belonged to the Prussian Province of Saxony.

The village of Scrabanloch was founded in the 8th century, the exact year remains unknown. Soon after, a castle was built near the settlement. In the 11th century, the village received a charter to become a city. Over time Schraplau has had several names. To this day there is very little industry within the town limits.

My assumption is that Mansfeld being the much more accomplished area had Schraplau under its thumb during this time. Feel free to correct me if you know more about the history of this area. Mansfeld-Schraplau pieces were struck for a relatively short period of time.

All in all, I’m really happy with this purchase. I have a wide range of collecting interests and this one manages to cover multiple ones. It’s also my first Mansfeld-Schraplau piece. It’s not the nicest looking coin but it is tough to come by in any condition and from what I have seen there aren’t many better than this one.

 

Sources:

German Thalers – 1500-1600, Davenport
Wikepedia