Danzig 1557 ducat Fr-2
This specimen was lot 1523 in Jean Elsen sale 161 (Brussels, March 2025), where it sold for €38,000 (about US$49,476 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"POLOGNE, Sigismond II Auguste (1544-1572), AV ducat, 1557, Danzig. D/ ·SIGIS· AVG· REX· PO· D· PRVSS B. couronné et cuirassé à d. R/ (lis) MONE· NOV· AVR· CIVI· GEDAN· 1557 Armes de Danzig tenues par deux lions. De la plus haute rareté. Nettoyé. Traces de monture et de restauration. Le droit regravé dans le coin. (kingdom of Poland, Sigismund II, 1544-72, gold ducat of 1557, Danzig mint. Obverse: crowned and armored bust right; reverse: arms of the city supported by two lions. Extremely rare, cleaned, traces of a mount mark and repair. Struck from a reengraved obverse die. Fine - Very Fine.)"
This type was struck 1549-58 and 1565 but all dates are very rare. The death of Sigismund II Augustus caused the extinction of the Jagiellonian dynasty. The throne was made elective and became a plaything of different aristocratic factions.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.49 g, 0.986 fine gold, 21-22 mm diameter, this specimen 3,48 g.
Catalog reference: Kopicki 7381; D.& S. 99b; 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.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 161, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2025.
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