Wildman Coins of the German States

Owner Comments:

The oldest Wildman coin in my collection by over 20 years. If references are correct the lit candle in the right hand is a not so veiled threat to his constituents of what may happen if they don't fall in line. Heinrich the Younger had been blamed for having a town burned to the ground in the years prior to this coinage.

Heinrich the Younger

Henry V of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (10 November 1489 – 11 June 1568), called the Younger, (Heinrich der Jüngere), a member of the House of Welf, was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruling Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel from 1514 until his death. The last Catholic of the Welf princes, he was known for the large number of wars in which he was involved and for the long-standing affair with his mistress Eva von Trott.

Obverse: Bust Left
Reverse: Wildman in the center.

If this 3rd edition of SC of German Coins 1501-Present is accurate, the mint may be Riechenberg. Somewhere on that coin should be "stag rampant left holding ingot hook." Or maybe the Goslar mint - some sort of symbol that looks like a necklace (a V shape) with a cactus hanging at the lower part of the V.