Bohemia, Albrecht von Wallenstein 1583 - 1634, Thaler 1626, aluminum coin replica

Material: Aluminum. Size: 41 mm.

Unissued Thaler of von Wallenstein: The coin dies for the first Thalers of von Wallenstein were most likely supplied by K. Engelhardt, engraver of the Prague mint. He engraved (allegedly twice) a portrait of von Wallenstein in such an unsightly manner that the provincial Frydlant hauptmann Taxis did not dare to use the coin dies for minting and preferred to commission new dies from an anonymous Moravian engraver. The first rare Thalers of von Wallenstein, about 2,000 of which were minted in 1626, bore a type on the reverse reading DOMINUS PROTECTOR MEUS. However, the epigraph was used without von Wallensteins awareness, and after seeing the samples, von Wallenstein had it replaced by his familys epigraph INVITA INVIDIA (Against Envy). Yet he changed his mind just two days later, in favour of a type reading SACRI ROMANI IMPERII PRINCEPS, which he thought better expressed his prominent position in the empire. Although it is often mentioned that the epigraph INVITA INVIDIA was used on von Wallensteins coins, this is not the case. It appears that Thalers with such a type have never been minted.