Germany Wurttemberg Thaler 1871

Look at the amazing coin in our photograph. It comes from Jeremy Katz of jkcoins on eBay and JK Coin Photography and Consignment on the Internet. Jeremy's coin is in superb, fully uncirculated condition, it comes in a numismatic slab by NGC, and shows striking orange and blue toning that adds allure for many collectors.

Our inquirer Josh has the same coin but it is in circulated condition and mounted in jewelry.

The coin was minted in Wurttemberg, Germany. Wurttember was its own sovereign state, with its own king (Karl), when the coin was minted. Shortly thereafter, Otto von Bismark congealed the German States into a unified Empire. Wurttemberg continued to mint coins until 1916.

As to value, here is what the coin catalogs say about an 1871 Wurttemberg thaler:

worn: $25 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $45
well preserved: $85
fully uncirculated: $150

These are catalog value and only indicate roughly what the coin is actually worth. See our Terminology page for an explanation of catalog value. The variation in value can be substantial:

• JK's coin: over $500 retail value
• Josh's coin: $17 retail value

Why this wide variation?

JK's coin has a lot going for it: (1) fully uncirculated condition, (2) eye-catching appeal, (3) authenticated, graded, and encapsulated in a numismatic slab. Similarly Josh's coin has a lot working against it: (1) circulated condition, (2) damaged by jewelry mounting. There is tremendous collector demand for JK's coin, and zero collector demand for Josh's coin since collectors will not buy damaged coins. These factors account for the wide value swing.

Even with no collector demand, Josh's coin holds value because 1871 Wurttemberg thalers contain 0.536 troy ounces of silver. The $17 figure above represents the current market value of 0.536 troy ounces of silver. The value of silver changes every day, so look it up on web sites such as kitco.com.
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