The Siege of Braunau

Sale: Triton X, Lot: 927. Estimate $1500.  Closing Date: Monday, 8 January 2007.  Sold For $1100. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

GERMANY, Braunau am Inn. AR 6 Kreuzer Klippe (1.12 g). Siege coinage. Dated 9 May 1743. BRAVNAV, crowned ducal coat of arms of Saxony between palm fronds; 17 43 flanking; 9 MAY below / Blank. Kellner 15; Hippmann 456A; cf. Mailliet 12; KM 6. VF. Rare.

Braunau is located on the border of modern Austria, where the river Inn separates it from the German state of Bavaria. During the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), the town served as a stronghold of the Bavarians, who fought for independence from the Austrian Habsburgs. Later, during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748), the Bavarians again fought Austria. This time, they allied with France, Prussia, and Spain in an attempt to exploit the perceived weakness of Maria Theresa, the new successor to the Habsburg throne. This klippe was produced as an emergency issue when the Austrians besieged Braunau beginning on 9 May 1743. The silver for the coinage was supplied by the town’s churches, guilds, and wealthy residents, and metals such as tin and lead were used after the supply of precious metals was exhausted. The town was defended by Duke Ludwig Friedrich of Saxony-Hildburghausen, who negotiated an end to the siege on 4 July.