Croatia 1941 500 kuna Fr-1
This specimen was lot 20354 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2019), where it sold for $3,360. The catalog description[1] noted, "CROATIA. 500 Kuna, 1941. PCGS AU-58. A RARE and enigmatic issue of World War II, the present offering lightly handled in the past and now exhibiting somewhat vivid tone. Despite the light wear, there are essentially no noteworthy abrasions in the fields or across the device." The "Independent State of Croatia" was erected by the Nazis after their conquest of Yugoslavia in 1941. It was dominated by the fascist Ustaše party, led by Ante Pavelić (1889-1959), whose portrait appears on this coin. Pavelić escaped to Argentina after the war and eventually died in Spain. Another 500 kuna issued in 1941 shows a peasant girl holding a sheaf of wheat.
Recorded mintage: 170.
Specification: 9.95 g, 0.900 fine gold, 0.286 troy oz ASW.
Catalog reference: Fr-1; KM-A3.
- 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.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Richard Ponterio and Kyle Ponterio, The August 2019 Chicago ANA Auction: World Coins, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2019.
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