Bohemia 1749 ducat Fr-53b
This specimen was lot 3631 in Sincona sale 26 (Zürich, October 2015), where it sold for 3,200 CHF (about US$3,953 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE - AUSTRIA, Maria Theresia, 1740-1780 Dukat 1749. Prag . Sehr selten. Gutes sehr schön. Min. gewellt. (Holy Roman Empire, Maria Theresia, 1740-80, ducat of 1749, Prague mint. Very rare, good very fine, slightly bent.)"
This type was struck 1745-65 from Prague (shown here), Graz and Hall but is not common. Altho the issues of Francis I are mintmarked, those of Maria Theresia are not and must be distinguished by careful study of the shield on the eagle's breast. On the death of Charles VI in 1740, the redoubtable Maria Theresia was crowned Archduchess of Austria and queen of Hungary but, being a woman, could not be given the imperial crown. Therefore, after much debate and a war fomented by Frederick the Great of Prussia, her husband Francis of Lorraine was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1745.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.5 g, .986 find gold, .110 troy oz AGW; this specimen is 3.43 g.
Catalog reference: Dietiker 1084, Fr-53b (formerly Fr-409), KM 756 (listed under Bohemia).
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, Ruedi Kunzmann and Arne Kirsch, Numismatic Coins & Medals, Auction 26, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2015.
- 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
- Herinek, Gerhard, Austria Münzkatalog: Munzen ab 1745 und Banknoten ab 1759, 49. Auflage, Vienna: Christine Steyrer Verlag, 2022.
Link to:
- 1744 ducat, Maria Theresia, Prague mint
- 1745 half thaler, Prague mint
- 1748 half ducat, Vienna mint
- 1749 ducat, Francis I, Vienna mint
- 1750 ducat, Maria Theresia, Hall mint
- 1751 ducat, Karlsburg mint
- 1751 mining ducat
- 1755 ducat, Maria Theresia, Prague mint
- Coins and currency dated 1749
- return to coins of Austria