Czechoslovakia 1938 dukat
This specimen was lot 30105 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2022), where it sold for $57,600. The catalog description[1] noted, "CZECHOSLOVAKIA. Ducat, 1938. Kremnica Mint. NGC MS-63. Reaching out to grasp those who view it, this 1938 Ducat stands as a brilliant and beautiful example of perhaps the most demanded date in the entire Czechoslovakian series. With a miniscule mintage of only 56, this piece had inbuilt RARITY from the moment it left the Kremnica Mint. This elusiveness has only increased in the intervening time, with a survival rate likely far less than the mintage, evidenced by only three examples appearing on the NGC or PCGS population reports. The present specimen is dressed in a wholesome luster, that sparkles brilliantly and is only seldom interrupted by contacting. The strike is excellent, with details that cut like the blade of a knife. About as desirable as a 20th Century European issue can be, this amazing Czechoslovakian Ducat reaches beyond the realm of coinage, to touch all of those who look at it, and contemplate the date and its significance to not only Czechoslovakian, but also world history. From the Augustana Collection." This type was struck 1923-39 and 1951 along with a two dukaty, five dukatu and ten dukatu. This type is rarely seen circulated, suggesting the hoarding of what few examples escaped government vaults. The obverse portrait is of "good" king Wenceslas, he of the well-known Christmas carol.
Recorded mintage: 56.
Specification: 3.49 g, 0.986 fine gold.
Catalog reference: Fr-2; KM-8; Novotny-16 (RRRR).
- 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, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The 2022 ANA Auction - Ancients & World Coins - Featuring The Salton Collection Part III, the Augustana Collection and the Robert C. Knepper Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
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