Denmark 1668-GK 18 mark Fr-92

Stack's Bowers sale of the L. E. Bruun Collection, lot 1085

Heritage sale 3135, lot 33139

The first specimen was lot 1085 in Stack's Bowers sale of the L. E. Bruun Collection (Copenhagen, September 2024), where it sold for €18,000 (about US$19,948 including buyer's fees). The catalog description^[1] noted,

"Beautiful Nearly-Choice 18 Mark with Sunny Disposition, DENMARK. 18 Mark (Guld-Krone), 1668. Copenhagen Mint. Frederik III. NGC MS-62. Mintmaster: Gotfred Krüger (GK). A sharply struck and intensely lustrous example of this EXCEEDINGLY SCARCE type. While the obverse portrait ranks among the best from the reign of Frederik III, the reverse bears the unique denomination of XVIII (18) M(arck), which at the time was the equivalent of 4-1/2 silver Kroner."

The second specimen was lot 33139 in Heritage sale 3135 (Pittsburgh, September 2026), where it sold for $43,920. The catalog description^[2] noted, "Denmark: Lovely and Immensely Flashy Choice Gold Krone. Frederik III gold Krone 1668-GK MS63+ Prooflike NGC, Copenhagen mint. Extremely rare one-year type, featuring needlepoint devices atop brilliant fields that burst with bright reflectivity. There is a subdued yet elegant nature to the reverse design that contrasts with the bold and almost pugnacious bust of the king. Ex. L. E. Bruun Collection (Stack's Bowers, March 2025, Lot 13161); Countship of Brahesminde Collection (Private Sale, 1922); Peter v. Hemmert Collection (1807, Lot 107)." The SCWC catalogs this as a gold krone, but the gold krone (Fr-88) struck in the same period was sixteen mark. To add to the confusion, this coin is lighter than a gold krone, which should weigh 5.99 g.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 5.47 g, 0.917 fine gold, 26-27 mm diameter, the first specimen 5.55 g, the second specimen 5.49 g.

Catalog reference: Fr-92; KM-303; Hede-46; Sieg-143; Aagaard-62.1 (68.1/68.1); Schou-2; Bruun-6638. The second specimen is Bruun-6639.

Source:

Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
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.
Siegs Møntcatalog 2016: Danmark med Omrader, 48 ed., Frederikssund, Siegs Forlag ApS, 2015.
^[1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio, Jeremy Bostwick and Henrik Holt Christensen, The L. E. Bruun Collection - A Corpus of Scandinavian Monetary History Part I, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
^[2]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, 2026 September 1 - 5 ANA World & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature® Auction #3135, featuring The Vila Rica Collection of Brazilian Gold Coins, Part II, and The Grundy Collection of Latin American and Spanish Coins, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2026.

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Denmark 1668-GK 18 mark Fr-92

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