Bavaria 1856 ducat Fr-278
This specimen was lot 6060 in Künker sale 386 (Osnabrück, March 2023), where it sold for €3,800 (about US$4,910 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BAYERN, HERZOGTUM, SEIT 1623 KURFÜRSTENTUM, SEIT 1806 KÖNIGREICH, Maximilian II. 1848-1864. Dukat 1856. Rheingold. GOLD. Winz. Kratzer, vorzüglich. (kingdom of Bavaria, Maximilian II, 1848-64, ducat of 1856, made from Rhine gold. Minor scratches, extremely fine.)"
Two types of ducat were issued in the 1850's; this type, with a city view and the legend "EX AURO RHENI" (from Rhenish gold) and KM 839, with a conventional coat of arms on the reverse. Both are scarce. One of the results of unification was the termination of separate coinages for each of the independent states, including Bavaria. No ducats were struck after 1863. Bavaria issued coins using the united empire standard in the denominations of two, five, ten and 20 mark during 1871-1918 until the empire collapsed at the end of World War One. King Maximilian II ruled 1848-64.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.49 g, 0.937 fine gold, this specimen 3,47 g.
Catalog reference: KM 841, Divo/S. 35; Fr-278; Schl. 118.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- 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.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Katalog 386: Brakteaten | Mainz | Bibliothek Prof. Dr. Niklot Klüßendorf | Mittelalter und Neuzeit | Goldprägungen | Deutsche Münzen ab 1871, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2023.
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