1752 Gold Pfennig Pattern NGC MS62

The 1752 Gold Pfennig of Brunswick-Luneburg-Calenberg, Zellerfeld Mint, graded NGC MS62, is a historically significant and possibly unique presentation striking issued under George II August, Elector of Brunswick-Luneburg and concurrently King George II of Great Britain. Though cataloged in Krause as a “pattern” (KM Pn31), expert consensus now identifies such gold pieces as official presentation issues, struck in extremely limited numbers for ceremonial or diplomatic gifting, not as die trials.

Obverse: Depicts the iconic “Wildman” — a bearded, muscular figure symbolic of Lower Saxony — standing facing, holding a large uprooted tree trunk. This emblem was a hallmark of the Brunswick family’s mint iconography and denoted both natural strength and territorial identity.

Reverse: Boldly displays the full denomination in stacked lines:
“1 / PFENNIG / SCHEIDE / MUNTZ / 1752”
Framed by a beaded border and accented with two rosettes flanking the numeral “1” above, the reverse confirms its nature as a minor coin design, reinterpreted here in gold as a ceremonial artifact.

Minted in .986 fine gold to the weight standard of a minor denomination (Pfennig), this coin is part of a rare class of off-metal ceremonial strikes, almost never intended for circulation. Graded NGC MS62, the coin remains in brilliant mint state with strong detail, frosty luster, and only minor handling marks. As the finest known and potentially the only certified example, it stands as a landmark piece in both German numismatics and royal portraiture associated with the British Hanoverian line.