Danzig (1592) 7 ducats
This specimen was lot 4390 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2022), where it sold for $360,000. The catalog description[1] noted,
"Magnificent 1592 Danzig Medallic 7 Ducats, Featuring Annona and Neptune, POLAND. Danzig. Medallic 7 Ducats, ND (1592). Sigismund III. PCGS AU-55. Obverse: Crowned portrait of Sigismund III facing right; Reverse: Neptune seated right on dolphin, holding trident, ship above; Annona seated left facing Neptune with cornucopia and spade; arms of Danzig between.
Some coins are simply exceptional to behold, and this ULTRA-RARE Danzig 7 Ducats medallic issue is the epitome of exceptional. Not much is known with certainty about this issue, beyond its stellar beauty, but what is certain is that it predates 1594, when Sigismund III was crowned the king of Sweden. Lacking a Swedish title, this issue was likely struck at some point in 1592 or 1593, with most sources agreeing on 1592. Sigismund III ruled Poland at the highest point of Poland's European influence. His staunch Roman Catholicism and proactive campaign of counterreformation make him, even today, a controversial figure in Poland's history. His magnificent issues of coins and medals in gold remain among the most popular and desirable issues in the whole bourse of numismatics. This coin appears to have been struck to commemorate Sigismund III's efforts at both navigation and agriculture in his vast kingdom. The nature of the reverse design implies a desire for Poland to have a relationship with both the fertile earth and the mighty waves as epitomized by Annona and Neptune, respectively.
Very few examples of this type are known to have ever reached an auction podium, with an example of the same type, but at higher weight, bearing graffiti selling in 2008. This particular example appears to have originated in a 1930 auction from the Frankiewicz collection sold by Salton's father, Schlessinger, in 1930. The pedigree reaches ever further back to a 1909 Helbing auction Enthaltend Münzen und Medaillen verschiedener Länder des Mittelalters und der Neuzeit: darunter Sammlung polnischer Münzen und Medaillen besonders der Städte Danzig und Thorn [Containing coins and medals from various countries from the Middle Ages and modern times: including a collection of Polish coins and medals, especially from the cities of Danzig and Thorn] Lot #629. Though the coin is plated in this Helbing sale, the plate makes it impossible to confirm it is the same specimen.
This example is fully struck in all the splendor common to Sigismund III gold issues. A rich golden luster remains, with very little evidence of handling present, even on the high points. Given the supreme rarity of this piece, it is probable that this sale may be the only chance in a generation to acquire an example. Such a conclusion is sure to drive major interest, and competition for the piece should be strong. This specimen is reserved for the most advanced collectors and belongs proudly at the head of the finest of numismatic cabinets. From the Mark and Lottie Salton Collection. Ex. Frankiewicz (possibly Helbing 11/1909, Lot # 629; Schlessinger 9/1930, Lot # 359)."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 24.5 g, 0.986 fine gold; this specimen 24.41 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-Unlisted; H-C-7548 (R5); Dutkowski-182 (R8); Srebra/Zlota-I1.12; Vossberg-626.
- 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]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The 2022 NYINC Sale: World and Ancient Coins, featuring the Mark and Lottie Salton Collection and the Pat Johnson Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
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