Austria 1628 4 ducats
This specimen was lot 1160 in Sincona Auction 107 (Zürich, October 2026), where it sold for 34,000 CHF (about US$49,531 including buyers' fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"RDR / ÖSTERREICH Ferdinand II. 1619-1637. 4 Dukaten 1628, Breslau. Münzmeister Johann Ziesler. Wardein Hans Riedel. FERD II D G RO IM - S AV G H B REX DV S Belorbeertes und geharnischtes Brustbild nach rechts mit grosser Halskrause, unter dem Brustbild Ranke. Rv. ARCHIDVX AVS DVX BVR MAR MO CO T 1628 Gekrönter Doppeladler mit Kopfscheinen, in den Fängen Schwert und Zepter, auf der Brust der vierfeldige Schild Ungarn/Böhmen mit geteiltem Mittelschild Österreich/Burgund, umgeben von der Kette des Ordens vom Goldenen Vlies. Von grösster Seltenheit. Vermutlich einziges bekanntes Exemplar. Sehr schön-vorzüglich. Feld im Avers etwas geglättet und kleiner Randfehler. Erworben für 1'055 Franken und 50 Rappen bei der Bank Leu in Zürich am 14.12.1956. (Holy Roman Empire, Ferdinand II, 1619-37, four ducats of 1628, Breslau mint. Obverse: laureate, armored and ruffed bust right; reverse: crowned and nimbate double headed eagle, with sword and scepter in its talons, supporting the quartered arms of Hungary and Bohemia with an escutcheon of Austria-Burgundy, order chain around. Of the highest rarity. Probably the only known specimen, Very Fine-Extremely Fine, Obverse field partly smoothed and small edge bump.)"
The SCWC lists this rare type for 1621-22, 1628, 1634. No photo is depicted therein so we don't know if this example, which varies considerably from the 1621 we show here, was intended to be included. Altho the auctioneers attribute this to the Breslau mint, there is no reference to Silesia in the legends or in the arms.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 14 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 13.80 g.
Catalog reference: KM 366, F.u.S. -. MzA -. Herinek - (see 98, 5 Dukaten). Dutkowski -. Fr- (see 153, 5 Ducats).
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- 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.
- [1]Richter, Jurg, Michael Hardmeier, Michael Otto, Arne Kirsch, Ruedi Kunzmann and Timur Demirai, SINCONA Auction 107: The Hugo von Ziegler-Schindler Collection of Numismatic Rarities, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2026.
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