The 1/2 thaler on the occasion of the ceremonial funeral of Prince Boguslaw XIV

Duke Bogislaw XIV’s death in 1637 ended the existence of the independent Duchy of Pomerania. The ongoing Thirty Years' War made it impossible to bury the last Pomeranian ruler with dignity. The treaty concluded in Szczecin in 1653 finally settled the borders between Sweden and Brandenburg and determined the form of the ceremonial burial of Bogislaw XIV. It was customary to mint unique commemorative coins according to the standards of the Pomeranian thaler and ducat. Smaller denominations were thrown at the gathered crowd, while thicker numismatic coins were presented to the distinguished guests. In 1640, after a three-year break, the Szczecin mint was leased to the mint master Ulrich Bütkow (Butkau), who supervised the production of coins by the standards and laws of the Reich. In 1654, a series of commemorative coins was minted there for the solemn funeral of the last Pomeranian Duke. Several of them bear the signature of the Szczecin goldsmith and medal maker Gottfried Tabbert. In their symbolism, the coins show content related both to the deceased ruler and the division of Pomerania. Thalers, multiples and parts thereof were made in silver. Original souvenirs are also silver specimens minted with the stamps of an individual coin on a thick disc, the so-called piedfort. The half-thaler was stamped with a quarter-thaler, and although it is not signed, it betrays the hand of a good engraver. The obverse contains an eleven-line inscription referring directly to the Duke's funeral and death, surrounded by a border of leaves. The same content was placed on thalers, half-orts, ducats and half-ducats. The reverse is decorated with iconographic elements symbolising the end of the dynasty, namely, a cut tree trunk and the succession of Sweden and Brandenburg. The background to this composition is a panorama of Szczecin from the Oder, with the essential elements of the city's architecture, St Mary's Church and the Ducal Castle. The painting is accompanied by a religious motto constituting a declaration of trust in God. The high sun in a radiant halo completes the optimistic meaning of the symbols. The coin comes from a German physician and collector, Prof. Helmut Hahn’s Pomeranian collection that was entirely sold at auction in Berlin in 2013.

Genowefa Horoszko