Courland 1762 groschen
This specimen was lot 49154 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2026), where it sold for $1,020. The catalog description[1] noted, "POLAND. Grossus, 1762. Mitau Mint. Carl. PCGS MS-63." The duchy of Courland, normally an obscure part of what is now Latvia, became notorious for twice being the seat of the adventurer Ernst Johann Biron, favorite of Anna of Russia. This type was struck 1762-63 not for him but Karl Christian Joseph of Saxony, an extra son of king Augustus of Poland and duke of Courland 1758-63. On his father's death and Catherine the Great's ascension as tsarina, he was forced to abdicate and return to Germany.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.40 g, billon, 22 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-21; Kop-4082.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, January 2026 NYINC Showcase Auction, Ancient and World Coins, featuring the Kazmier Wysocki Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.
Link to:
- Courland 1762 solidus Karl Christian Joseph of Saxony
- Courland 1764-ICS ducat Fr-3 Ernst Johann Biron
- Coins and currency dated 1762