Bremen 1627 goldgulden Fr-400
This specimen was lot 1505 in Künker Auction 425 (Osnabrück, July 2025), where it sold for €14,000 (about US$19,824 including buyers' fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"DEUTSCHE MÜNZEN UND MEDAILLEN · BREMEN, STADT Goldgulden 1627, mit Titel Ferdinands II. Schlüssel in ovalem verzierten Schild//Gekrönter Doppeladler. GOLD. Von größter Seltenheit. Wohl 2. bekanntes Exemplar. Feine Goldpatina, min. Prägeschwäche, winz. Schrötlingsfehler, sehr schön +. Dieser Goldgulden aus dem Jahr 1627 ist überaus selten, wir konnten nur ein weiteres Vorkommen in der Sammlung Dr. Danziger, Auktion Hans Meuss 11, Hamburg 1938, Nr. 309 eruieren. (Germany, city of Bremen, goldgulden of 1627, struck in the name of Ferdinand II. Obverse: key in ornate oval shield; reverse: crowned double headed eagle. Extremely rare, maybe two pieces known, fine gold patina, slightly weakly struck, some planchet flaws, very fine or better.)"
Most Bremen issues were emitted by the free city of Bremen, still today a major port on the North Sea coast of Germany. However, the hinterland formed the archbishopric of Bremen which persisted after the region converted to Lutheranism in the mid-1500's. Finally, as a consequence of the Thirty Years War, the state was secularized and handed over to the king of Sweden and ruled by him until 1719. While there is an extensive series of minor billon coinage from this Hanseatic town on the North Sea, thalers and gold coins are few. This type was also struck in 1637.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.25 g, 0.917 fine gold, this specimen 3,23 g.
Catalog reference: KM 87, Fr-400; Jungk 403.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- 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.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Katalog 425: Gold coins from the Medieval and Modern Times, from the Mohr family collection, e.g. | Silver coins, e.g. highlights of medallic art | German coins after 1871, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2025.
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