Bern (1680-1720) 10 ducats Fr-140
This specimen was lot 30457 in Heritage auction 3096 (Dallas, TX, March 2021), where it sold for $102,000. The catalog description[1] noted,
"The Sole "City View" of the City of Bern. Switzerland: Bern. City gold 10 Ducat ND (1680-1720) UNC Details (Mount Removed) NGC. Obverse by Hans Jacob Burckhard, reverse by David Dick. A tremendous offering in gold, and a rare type that may well represent a singular opportunity for our interested bidders. Collectors of the Swiss series will be well-familiar with the city-view designs hailing from cantons such as Zurich and Basel. However, the motif is one that is entirely absent from the coinage of Bern in the same period, except for this very issue, rendering it not only of tremendous importance, but also as wholly unique within the larger series.
The gorgeous cityscape displays a commendable style of engraving and an attention to detail that are wholly outside the "normal" bounds for coins bearing similar imagery. No less than 25 individual spires and towers are easily identifiable throughout the expansive design, which carries such intricacy as to leave individual windows and rooftops equally discernible, the Aare River in the foreground showing a swift current juxtaposed with the idyllic rolling country to create an impression of a vibrant and thriving city closely connected to the world beyond by both land and sea.
For all that the designs have to offer in their vivid construction and composition, the condition of this specimen is no less impressive. Vibrant luster careens across the fields upon rotation, creating a nearly Prooflike expression of light. Close inspection reveals only trivial signs of a central mount, skillfully removed and leaving predominantly amber tone to the innermost region, where traces of the mount itself very nearly require magnification to become visible. A few light scratches are noted to the fields, though appear both relatively gentle and wholly forgivable in light of the offering's exceptional rarity. Sweeping, bold, and likely without equal, this heavy golden emission is certain to serve as a treasured numismatic relic for many years to come. Ex. Leu Numismatik Auction 88 (October 2003, Lot 1923); Adolf Iklé Collection (Leo Hamburger Auction 23, May 1911, Lot 227). From the Paramount Collection."
This rare type was accompanied by KM 50 (5 ducats).
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 35 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 34.62 g.
Catalog reference: KM 54 (Rare), Fr-140 (Very Rare; this coin), HMZ-2-203d, Divo-Unl., Haller-Unl.
- 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.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Richter, Jürg, and Ruedi Kunzmann, Neuer HMZ-Katalog, Band 2: Die Münzen der Schweiz und Liechtensteins 15//16. Jahrhundert bis Gegenwart, Regenstauf, Germany: H. Gietl Verlag GmbH, 2006.
- [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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