PCGS Around the World Paris - A Tale of Two City Thalers

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German thaler coinage offers thousands of different designs representing various states, cities, and churches. Each one of these pieces offers an interesting story and, recently in a Paris submission, two thaler designs exist for one piece giving it a unique, dynamic history. These two thalers, known as a “Rathaustaler,” or “City Thaler,” hail from Nuremberg, Germany.

In 1688, Nuremberg issued thalers to be struck featuring the design of the Nuremberg Rathaus (city hall). Designed and engraved by Philipp Heinrich Muller, the motif features the city goddess Noris, seated in the foreground and holding a cornucopia upright in one arm while grasping a liberty pole with the other. Such pieces were produced upon demand until about 1720, when the dies failed.

The city then commissioned a new artist, Daniel Sigmund Dockler, to cut dies for the continued production of this thaler design. Dockler produced a similar design but with many notable differences, including the new initials “DSD” on the podium, replacing Muller’s “PHM.” Another notable distinction with the Dockler piece is that his design depicts the doors of the Rathaus closed rather than open, as seen in Muller’s design – most likely a symbolic choice.

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