Croatia 1941 500 kuna Fr-2
This specimen was lot 33409 in Heritage sale 3114 (New York, January 2024), where it sold for $6,000. The lot description[1] noted, "Croatia. Fascist State gold 500 Kuna 1941-Dated MS62 NGC, Zagreb mint. Kneeling figure/rope reverse. A very elusive WWII-era gold issue with an unreported but seemingly miniscule mintage that tends to always excite bidders. Only the third example we've handled, full in both its quality and the impact of its expression, and certainly a great rarity when located this fine." 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). Pavelić escaped to Argentina after the war and eventually died in Spain. Another 500 kuna issued in 1941 shows a portrait of the dictator. Patterns exist in aluminum, copper, aluminum bronze, silver and copper-nickel.
Recorded mintage: unknown but few.
Specification: 9.95 g, 0.900 fine gold.
Catalog reference: KM-B3, Fr-2.
- 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]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, 2024 January 16 - 18 NYINC World Coins Signature Auction #3114, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2023.
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