Frankfurt 1619 1/2 ducat Fr-968
This specimen was lot 324 in Künker sale 400 (Berlin, February 2024), where it sold for €5,500 (about US$7,135 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"RÖMISCH-DEUTSCHES REICH, Ferdinand II. 1592-1618-1637. 1/2 Dukat 1619, auf seine Krönung zum römischen Kaiser am 9. September in Frankfurt. GOLD. Von großer Seltenheit. Sehr attraktives Exemplar, vorzüglich-Stempelglanz. (Holy Roman Empire, Ferdinand II, 1618-37, half ducat of 1619, on his coronation in Frankfurt on September 9. Extremely rare, very attractive example, extremely fine to uncirculated.)"
This type was also struck in klippe format (KM 59/Fr-969). It accompanied a single ducat (Fr-967) and double ducat (Fr-966), which were also struck in klippe format (Fr-964, Fr-965). We will follow Friedberg and the SCWC in listing this under Frankfurt. Ferdinand became emperor on Matthias' death in 1619 and vigorously prosecuted the Thirty Years War against the Protestants.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 1.75 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 1,72 g.
Catalog reference: KM 58, Fr-968 (listed under Frankfurt); J. u. F. 354 a; Förschner 63.
- 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.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Katalog 400: Selected löser of the Dukes of Guelph from the Friedrich Popken Collection | Numismatic treasures from the Medieval and Modern Times, a. o. "multiple portraits" from a Westphalian private collection, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2024.
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