Friedland 1627 ducat Fr-137
This specimen was lot 1122 in Sincona Auction 100 (Zürich, October 2025), where it sold for 13,000 CHF (about US$19,594 including buyers' fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"TSCHECHIEN Wallenstein, Albrecht von Wallenstein, 1623-1634. Dukat 1627, Jicin. Münzmeister Georg Reick (Sonne). Stempelschneider Hans Rieger, Breslau. (Rosette) ALBERTVS·D:G (Sonne) DVX·FRIDLAND: Geharnischtes Brustbild fast von vorn, auf der Brust eine Feldherrnbinde, die an der rechten Schulter befestigt ist. Rv. SAC·RO·IMPE·PRINCEPS·1627 Fürstenhut über gekröntem siebenfedrigen Wappenadler des Herzogtum Friedlands, auf der Brust das quadrierte Wallenstein'sche Schild, das Ganze in einer rund-ovalen Fassung und mit Rollwerk verzierten Kartusche. Sehr selten. Sehr schön. (Bohemia, Albert of Wallenstein, 1623-34, ducat of 1634, Jicin mint, dies engraved in Breslau. Obverse: armored bust facing with a commander's sash fastened at the right shoulder; reverse: Princely crown above the crowned seven-feathered heraldic eagle of the Duchy of Friedland, bearing quartered arms on its breast. The whole is enclosed in a round-oval frame and an ornate cartouche with scrollwork. Very rare, Very Fine.)"
Wallenstein was born into the minor Protestant nobility of Bohemia but converted to Catholicism while attending university in Italy. Seeking glory, he pursued a military career and eventually became the commander of the imperial troops during the Thirty Years War. His successes against the Protestants aroused the suspicion of the emperor and he was dismissed in 1630. He retired to his duchy of Friedland in northern Bohemia. Imperial defeats at the hands of Gustavus Adolphus forced the emperor to recall him but distrust of his loyalty remained. He was assassinated by his officers with the emperor's connivance in 1634. He issued ducats 1627-28 and 1631-33, all rare. After Wallenstein's death, the duchy subsided into insignificance and no more coins were issued.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.45 g, 0.900 fine gold, this specimen 3.43 g.
Catalog reference: KM 19, (listed under Bohemia, not Austria), Poley 38, Meyer 13 und 14 (ungenau), Nechanicky 16, Fr-137.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- 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]Richter, Jurg, SINCONA Auction 100: SINCONA Jubilee Auction, Zurich: SINCONA AG, 2025.
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