Bamberg 1687 10 ducats Fr-168
This specimen was lot 30201 in Heritage auction 3096 (Dallas, TX, March 2021), where it sold for $174,000. The catalog description[1] noted,
"Astonishingly Medallic 10 Ducat of a Coveted Portrait Type. German States: Bamberg. Marquard Sebastian Schenk von Stauffenberg gold 10 Ducat 1687 MS60 NGC, Nürnberg mint. By Philipp Heinrich Müller. Struck from Taler dies (cf. KM 78). Even at a cursory glance, this splendid 10 Ducat exudes a unique appearance that certainly places it amongst the finest productions in the Bamberg series. The masterpiece of renowned engraver Philipp Heinrich Müller, based on a sketch of Marquard Sebastian made by Georg Arnold, it is hardly surprising that this is the product of a medalist's hand. The positioning and layout of each letter in the legend is carefully measured, the bishop's portrait completed in a lifelike countenance, and the reverse arms all symmetrically balanced and proportioned. In his biography for Müller, Forrer aptly states: "His medals became known and admired all over Europe, and they belong to the best of the time" (Vol. IV, pg. 197). Clearly drawn from the artist's medals of similar design but oval layout (cf. Heller-267 and Forrer pg. 198), the 1687 portrait coins of Marquard Sebastian Schenk von Stauffenberg, usually available only from the Talers, come hotly contested. This 10 Ducat, though recorded by the Standard Catalog of World Coins, Friedberg, and Krug, is not illustrated in any of those references. Krug for his part records only a single auction appearance, referring to this very coin. A type which deserves to be noted as 'fine style' in its own right, and an artistic marvel. Ex. Hess-Divo Auction 267 (May 1996, Lot 386); Adolph Hess-Bank Leu (October 1969, Lot 1). From the Paramount Collection."
This, a five ducats (Fr-168a) and a ducat (Fr-168b) are the only gold coins of this prince.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 35 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 34.70 g.
Catalog reference: KM-A80 (Rare), Fr-168 (Very Rare), Heller-Unl., Krug-351.02 (citing this coin).
- 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.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1600-1700, Galesburg, IL, 1974.
- 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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