Hesse-Cassel 1627 goldgulden Fr-1248
This specimen was lot 32032 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2025), where it sold for $45,600. The catalog description[1] noted, "The Only Gold Portrait Issue of Wilhelm V, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, GERMANY. Hesse-Cassel. Goldgulden, 1627. Kassel Mint. Wilhelm V. PCGS MS-61. Obverse: Bare portrait in lace collar right, flanked by date, WILHEL9. D: G: LAND: HASS. ADM: HIR around; Reverse: Coat of arms, VNO. VOLENTE. HVMILIS. LEVABOR around. An extremely desirable issue as the only gold portrait type of Wilhelm V, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, and of the UTMOST RARITY to boot. We are able to trace only one other example in public auction records over the last 25 years, and the present piece appears superior. Slight strike weakness appears over the face, but the surfaces are otherwise bold and lustrous, with a tinge of sunset-orange patina. The sole example certified by either PCGS or NGC. In all probability the finest and only Mint State example extant." Numista translates the reverse motto, "❀ VNO • VOLENTE • HVMILIS . LEVABOR", as "God willing, I will raise the lowly." The SCWC mentions another ducat for 1627, KM 100, with the date on the reverse. After William V's death, coinage for this state lapsed back into somnolence.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.25 g, 0.917 fine gold.
Catalog reference: Fr-1248; KM-101 (Rare).
- 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]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, January 2025 NYINC Showcase Auction, featuring the Richard Margolis Collection, Part III, and the Richard August Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
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