| Country | Germany, Hesse-Darmstadt |
|---|---|
| Ruler | Ludwig III (1848-77) |
| Face Value | Taler |
| Year of issue | 1862 |
| Metal | Silver |
| Fineness | 900 |
| Catalogue # | KM# 338; AKS 120; Kahnt 266g; Thun 200 |
| Weight, g. | 18,43 |
| Diameter, mm. | 33,19 |
| Our code | G481 |
| Die Axis | ↑↑ |
| Additional info | lightly cleaned, Mint error: MÜNZVFRTRAG on edge instead of MÜNZVERTRAG |
Hesse-Darmstadt
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Germany, Hesse Darmstadt, Ludwig III, Taler 1862, Variant, XF+/XF‑UNC
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Authenticity Guaranteed
Actual Coin Pictured
Ships within 1 business day
Worldwide Shipping
Obverse: Bust of Ludwig III facing left, legend around.
Legend (German): LUDWIG III GROSHERZOG VON HESSEN
Reverse: Crowned shield supported by 2 lions, legend around.
Legend (German): EIN VEREINSTHALER * XXX EIN PFUND FEIN 1862
Edge (Text in German): * MÜNZVFRTRAG VOM 24 JANUAR 1857
The pictures provided are of the actual coin for sale.Guaranteed genuine.
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In stock
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22 August 2025 (updated 21 July 2026):
Important Notice for USA Customers
Please note that, due to the new U.S. customs tariffs, the Post of Slovenia has temporarily suspended shipments to the United States. Unfortunately, this means we are unable to send orders to the USA at this time.
We will resume shipping to the USA as soon as the service becomes available again. Thank you for your understanding and patience.
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History
In 1862, the map of Germany was still a patchwork. Dozens of kingdoms, duchies, and grand duchies – each with its own ruler, its own army, its own coinage – coexisted within the loose framework of the German Confederation. Hesse-Darmstadt was one of them: a grand duchy of modest size but ancient lineage, straddling the Rhine and Main rivers in the heart of central Europe. It was a state that had survived Napoleon, the Congress of Vienna, and the upheavals of 1848, each time emerging smaller, more cautious, and more acutely aware of its own fragility between the great powers.
On the obverse of this thaler is the profile of Grand Duke Ludwig III – a ruler who understood, perhaps better than most, that history was closing in. In 1862, the year this coin was struck, Otto von Bismarck was appointed Minister-President of Prussia and delivered his famous declaration that the great questions of the age would be settled not by speeches and majority decisions, but by blood and iron. It was not an abstract threat. The clock had started.
Four years later, Hesse-Darmstadt made the fateful choice of siding with Austria in the Austro-Prussian War – and lost. The war lasted just seven weeks. Prussia swept through the German states with brutal efficiency, and Hesse-Darmstadt surrendered territory and sovereignty at the peace table. What remained of the grand duchy was absorbed into the new order, and by 1871, subsumed into the German Empire proclaimed at Versailles.
The Thaler itself would not survive much longer either. Germany’s monetary unification brought the Mark in 1871, and the old Thaler – that great silver workhorse of Central European commerce, struck in dozens of mints across dozens of states for centuries – was withdrawn from circulation and demonetized by 1873.
This coin is therefore a document of a world on the very edge of disappearance. The grand duchy that minted it had fewer than a decade left as a meaningful sovereign state. The currency itself had barely ten years of legal life remaining. And somewhere in Berlin, a certain iron chancellor had just begun his work.
Coin condition (grade) is described using the following scale, based on internationally recognised numismatic grading standards. Where a grade is separated by a slash (e.g. VF/XF), the obverse and reverse differ in condition – VF obverse, XF reverse in this example.
| Grade | Full name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| F | Fine | Noticeable, moderate to considerable wear across the design; major details, lettering and date remain clearly legible |
| F+ | Choice Fine | Slightly better than Fine |
| F‑VF | Fine to Very Fine | Between Fine and Very Fine |
| aVF | About Very Fine | Slightly below Very Fine |
| VF | Very Fine | Moderate wear on the higher points; major design elements and lettering remain sharp and well-defined |
| VF+ | Choice Very Fine | Slightly better than Very Fine |
| VF‑XF | Very Fine to Extremely Fine | Between Very Fine and Extremely Fine |
| aXF | About Extremely Fine | Slightly below Extremely Fine |
| XF | Extremely Fine | Light wear confined to the highest points of the design; most original detail and some mint lustre remain |
| XF+ | Choice Extremely Fine | Slightly better than Extremely Fine |
| XF‑UNC | Extremely Fine to Uncirculated | Between Extremely Fine and Uncirculated |
| aUNC | About Uncirculated | Slightly below Uncirculated |
| UNC | Uncirculated | Shows no evidence of circulation wear; retains its original mint lustre, which may appear naturally subdued with age |
| Proof | Proof | Struck specifically for collectors from specially prepared, polished dies on polished planchets, giving sharp detail and mirror-like fields. Refers to how the coin was made, not to its state of preservation |
| Prooflike (PL) | Prooflike | A coin from the ordinary circulation production that happens to show mirror-like fields, usually from early strikes with fresh dies – it looks similar to a Proof but was not specially struck for collectors |
Grading is inherently somewhat subjective. If you would like additional photos or have any question about a coin’s condition before ordering, please contact us – we’re happy to help.
