Austria 1678-IAN 25 ducats Fr-307
This specimen was lot 30118 in Heritage auction 3096 (Dallas, TX, March 2021), where it sold for $276,000. The catalog description[1] noted,
"Choice-Quality Graz 25 Ducat. Austria - Leopold I gold 25 Ducat 1678-IAN UNC Details (Obverse Scratched) NGC, Graz mint. Johann Anton Nowak as mintmaster. Struck from 2 Taler dies (cf. KM 1268). Date reworked from 1675. A gratifying specimen whose covetable status is affirmed by its expansive golden planchet, capturing the entirety of its intricately executed motifs against a backdrop of choice luster. In fact, if not for the small pair of scratches before Leopold's bust, the coin would easily certify as Choice Mint State. Perhaps unique in this 25 Ducat-weight, we have been unable to find any records of such a piece in the standard literature. Neither the Horsky nor the Julius collections contained an example, nor does it seem to have been known to Miller zu Aichholz. While Friedberg mentions a 25 Ducat of this date, that work neither plates an example nor specifies a mint. Interestingly, the Corpus Nummorum Austriacorum does record a 1678-dated 30 Ducat minted in Graz (currently housed in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna) that was also struck from 2 Taler dies and a reworked date from a 1675 stamp, suggesting it was probably produced from the same dies as the present piece. For the sake of comparison, the largest denomination we found at auction in recent years was a 10 Ducat of 1672, which realized $32,500 in 2008. Sold with Hess-Divo envelope (date of purchase unknown); Dr. Bergmeister Collection (Otto Helbing October 1891, Lot 120). From the Paramount Collection."
This was struck using double thaler dies (KM 1268/Dav-A3232). It was strictly for presentation.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 87.5 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 86.16 g.
Catalog reference: KM-Unl., Fr-307 (Very Rare), Horsky-Unl., Julius-Unl., MzA-Unl., CNA-Unl.
- 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.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- [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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