GERMANY. Erfurt. Stadt. Taler 1632 (Silver, 43 mm, 28.93 g, 11 h), so-called 'Purimtaler', on the Battle of Breitenfeld, struck during the Swedish occupation, 1631-1632. A DOMINO MISSUS VIVAT - GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS Radiant 'יהוה' above, below in three lines DEXTERA TUA / DOMINE PERCUSSIT / •INIMICUM•. Rev. DIES PURIM EVANGELICOR A◦ M:D:C•XXXII•VII SEPT• ERFURT CEL[EB]RATI in eleven lines, DEO TER OPT. / MAX•GLORIA ET / LAUS , QVI GUSTAVO / ADOLPHO SVECORUM / GOTHORUM , WAND QVE / REGI , CONTRA CÆSARE / ANUM AC•LIGISTICU•EX / ERCITUM , VICTORIAM / TRIBUIT AD LIPSIAM / DIE VII•SEPT• ANNO / MDCXXXI. Ahlström 23b. Davenport 4546. Delzanno 354. Gräßler/Walde 572. Leitzmann 778. Beautiful old cabinet toning. Minor areas of weakness and a small grafitto on the obverse, otherwise, extremely fine.



The coin was minted during the Thirty Years' War, when Erfurt was occupied by the troops of Swedish King Gustav II Adolf. Its reverse features an inscription celebrating the Swedish king's victory over the imperial army, led by Tilly, in the Battle of Breitenfeld near Leipzig on 7 September 1631 (Julian calendar) / 17 September 1631 (Gregorian calendar).

On 7 September 1632, a 'Purim festival' was held in Erfurt to commemorate the reintroduction of Protestant preaching and the victory at Breitenfeld a year earlier. The festival drew a parallel between the salvation of the Jews in the Persian Empire, which the Jewish Purim holiday recalls, and the salvation of Protestants in the Holy Roman Empire through Gustav Adolf.