Austria 1578 ducat Fr-87
This specimen was lot 1497 in Sincona sale 63 (Zürich, June 2020), where it sold for 2,200 CHF (about US$251 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE - AUSTRIA, Rudolf II. 1576-1612. Dukat 1578, Wien. Münzmeister Adam Hartmann. Äusserst selten. Gutes sehr schön. (Holy Roman Empire, Rudolf II, 1576-1612, ducat of 1578, Vienna mint. Extremely rare, Good very fine.)"
Friedberg lists this ducat for Vienna and Prague (Fr-88) for 1577-1618 but does not break out the subtypes. The Vienna ducat of 1585 shows the date moved to the rim rather than having it divided by the arms, as here.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.49 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 3.42 g.
Catalog reference: KM MB664, MzA 64. Fr-87.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, Sincona sale 63: Gold and Silver Coins and Medals, SINCONA Bullion Auction, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2020.
- 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.
- 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.
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