2/3 Thaler

1724, Stolberg-Stolberg, Christopher Frederick. Silver 2/3 Thaler Coin. PCGS UNC+

Mint Year: 1724
Reference: Davenport 997, KM-151. Rare!
Denomination: 2/3 Thaler (= 24 Mariengroschen)
Condition: Certified and graded by PCGS as UNC (Details: Cleaned!)
Mint master: Johann Jeremias Gündler (I.I.G.) - mintmaster and warden
Rulers (Counts): Christopher Frederick of Stolberg-Stolberg & Jost Christian (1704-1738).
Weight: ca. 13.05gm
Diameter: 38mm
Material: Silver

Obverse: Stag left before column, topped by orb. Letter "S" inside base.
Legend: + GOTT SEGNE U. ERHALTE UNSERE BERGWERCKE
Translated: "May God bless and preserve our mines."

Reverse: Crowned composite coat-of-arms, splitting mint master´s initials (I.I.G.), privy mark (mint hook) and date (17-24).
Legend: CHRISTO . FRID . U . IOST . CHRISTI . GEBR . GR . Z . ST . K . R . W . U . H * / FEIN (2/3) SILB:

Saint Marinus was the founder of the world's oldest surviving republic, San Marino, in 301. Tradition holds that he was a stonemason by trade who came from the island of Rab on the other side of the Adriatic Sea (modern Croatia), fleeing persecution for his Christian beliefs in the Diocletianic Persecution. He became a Deacon, and was ordained by St. Gaudentius, Bishop of Rimini, until he was accused by an insane woman of being her estranged husband, when he fled to Monte Titano to live as a hermit. His memorial day is September 3, commemorating the day of the year when he founded San Marino, which is also San Marino's national holiday. According to legend, he died in the Winter of 366 and his last words were: "Relinquo vos liberos ab utroque homine."  ("I leave you free from both men"). This somewhat mysterious phrase is  most likely to refer to the two "men" from whose oppressive power Saint  Marinus had decided to separate himself, becoming a hermit on Mount  Titano: respectively the Emperor and the Pope. This affirmation of  freedom (first and foremost fiscal franchise) from both the State and  the Church, however legendary, has always been the inspiration of the  tiny republic.

Stolberg-Stolberg was a county of the Holy Roman Empire located in the southern Harz region. Its capital was the town of Stolberg, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.

In 1429 the County of Wernigerode passed to the Counts of Stolberg, who ruled Wernigerode through a personal union. In 1548 the line was split between a Harz line (Stolberg-Stolberg) and a Rhenish line which had possessions in Rochefort (Stolberg-Rochefort) and Königstein im Taunus (Stolberg-Königstein).

With the death of Count Wolf Georg zu Stolberg in 1631, Stolberg-Stolberg was inherited by members of the Rhenish line. On 31 May 1645 Stolberg-Stolberg was divided between a senior Stolberg-Wernigerode line and a junior Stolberg-Stolberg line. In 1706, Stolberg-Stolberg divided again, with Stolberg-Rossla being created.

Stolberg-Stolberg was forced to recognize the suzerainty of the Electorate of Saxony in 1738. It was awarded to the Kingdom of Prussia in the 1815 Congress of Vienna.

The children of Fürsten and Erbprinzen zu Stolberg-Wernigerode bore the title Prince[ss] (Prinz[essin]) zu Stolberg-Wernigerode and were styled Serene Highness. Other members of this line bore the title Count[ess] (Graf/Gräfin) zu Stolberg-Wernigerode, with the style Illustrious Highness.