Catalonia (1536-37) ducat Fr-36a
This specimen was lot 30616 in Heritage sale 3040 (Chicago, April 2015), where it sold for $1,145.63. The catalog description[1] noted, "Charles I (Emperor Charles V) gold Escudo (Ducat) ND (1536-37) AU Details (Scratches) NGC, Barcelona mint, Struck for the 1536-37 expedition to Tunisia, this rare type is difficult in any grade. Despite a number of reverse scratches, all of the major devices are clear as well as the legend, making this an ideal candidate for the type collector." Spain was not usually an issuer of ducats but this seems to be an exception. The Spanish conquered Tunis in 1535, lost it to the Turks in 1569, retook it in 1573 but held it only briefly before losing it for good to the Turks in 1574. The Turks installed autonomous beys, who funded their rule by raiding shipping throughout the Mediterranean.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.5 g, 0.986 fine gold.
Catalog reference: Fr-36a (under Catalonia), Cayón-3239.
- 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]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and David Michaels, Heritage Signature Auction 3040, featuring the Santa Maria, the Alan Dean and the Valley View Life Collections, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2015.
- Cayón, Adolfo, Clemente Cayón and Juan Cayón, Las Monedas Españolas, del Tremis al Euro: del 411 a Nuestros Dias, 2 volumes, Madrid: Cayón-Jano S.L., 2005.
- Calicó, Xavier, Numismática Española: Catálogo General con Precios de Todas las Monedas Españolas Acuñadas desde Los Reyes Católicos Hasta Felipe VI, 1474 a 2020, Barcelona: Aureo & Calicó, 2019.
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