Austria 1522 10 ducats Fr-24
This specimen was lot 30100 in Heritage auction 3096 (Dallas, TX, March 2021), where it sold for $204,000. The catalog description[1] noted,
"A Glorious Commemorative for the Newly Crowned Archduke of Austria. Ferdinand I (1522-1564) gold 10 Ducat 1522 AU Details (Mount Removed) NGC, St. Veit (Klagenfurt) mint. By Hieronymus Kirchpucher. A remarkable piece of history and contemporary propaganda, more than clearly situating the young Archduke in the line of Maximilian I's legendary reign. Ferdinand was born and spent most of his early life in Spain, and though he was Maximilian's grandson, he was in no way expected to succeed to the Austrian throne--his father, Philip the Handsome (as Maximilian's heir), and his brother (the future Charles V), were next in the line of succession. Moreover, contemporary accounts allude to the fact that Ferdinand did not even learn German in his youth. With his father's death in 1506, and with his brother entrusting him with the Austrian hereditary lands upon assuming the title of Holy Roman Emperor in 1519, however, Ferdinand soon found himself in the position of Archduke on his grandfather's throne. In an effort to strengthen his own realm, even while supporting the reign of his brother Charles, Ferdinand adopted the German language and culture as a way to ingratiate himself to the other German territorial princes, and a commemorative type such as this could be seen as an early attempt to strengthen those bonds. Both sides are heavily laden with imagery adopted from Maximilian's reign--the master of numismatic propaganda--with the obverse clearly copied from his Guldiner of 1518 (cf. Dav-8007) and the reverse motifs inspired by his 2 Guldiner (cf. Dav-LS282A), though now ringed with Ferdinand's own titles (interestingly as 'Prince of Spain'), clearly implying that the armored rider on horseback was the recently crowned Archduke.
Missing from all of the most major collections of German-Austrian imperial coinage and medals that we have consulted--including most notably Montenuovo, Horsky, and Julius--Markl's foundational study of Ferdinand's coinage suggests just one other specimen known in gold (though its weight is unrecorded), residing in the Königliche Münzkabinett in Berlin, with even the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna lacking an example. The noted mount removal is most inconspicuous, while the design elements find full expression over the olive-gold flan. For specialized collectors of Habsburg-Holy Roman Imperial issues, there may not be a more fitting centerpiece than this incredible specimen.
Ex. Leu Numismatik Auction 80 (May 2001, Lot 640); Schweizerischer Bankverein Auction 38 (September 1995, Lot 2727) [cover lot]. From the Paramount Collection."
According to Friedberg, this is the only gold coin struck at this mint during Ferdinand's reign.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 35 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 34.73 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-24 (Very Rare; this coin), cf. Schulten-4009 (for 2 Taler), Voglhuber-29 (RR; same), Montenuovo-Unl., Horsky-Unl., Julius-Unl., Reimmann-Unl., Trau Collection-Unl., Egg-Unl., Probszt-Type 12 (10 Ducat not recorded), Markl-1956 (existence of gold striking noted).
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- Cuhaj, George S., Thomas Michael and Douglas Nicol, Standard Catalog of German Coins, 1501-Present, 3rd Ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- [1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano and Warren Tucker, Heritage World and Ancient Coins Auction 3096, featuring the Paramount Collection of World & Ancient Coins, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2021.
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