Hesse-Cassel 1720 1/4 ducat Fr-1275
This specimen was lot 6092 in Künker sale 386 (Osnabrück, March 2023), where it sold for €1,600 (about US$2,068 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"HESSEN-KASSEL, LANDGRAFSCHAFT, SEIT 1803 KURFÜRSTENTUM, Karl, 1670-1730, bis 1675 unter Vormundschaft seiner Mutter Hedwig Sophie von Brandenburg. 1/4 Dukat 1720, Kassel, auf die Thronbesteigung des Erbprinzen Friedrich als König von Schweden. Münzmeister Gabriel Leclerc. Gekrönter Löwe mit Schwert. GOLD. Selten, besonders in dieser Erhaltung. Prachtexemplar. Feine Goldpatina, fast Stempelglanz. (langraviate of Hesse-Cassel, Charles, 1670-1730, until 1675 under the regency of his mother, Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg, quarter ducat of 1720, Cassel mint, on the accession of prince Frederick as king of Sweden. Obverse: crowned lion with sword. Scarce, especially in this quality, outstanding example, fine patina, about uncircirculated.)"
This type is listed for 1720 only. This example realized well over double the catalog value. Karl died in 1730 after a reign of nearly sixty years and was succeeded by his son Friedrich, who was king of Sweden since 1720. Wikipedia comments,
"The Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel were famous for renting out their army to European Great Powers during the 17th and 18th centuries. It was a widespread practice at the time for small countries to rent out troops to larger countries in exchange for subsidies. ...Hesse-Kassel took the practice to an extreme, maintaining 5.3% of its population under arms in 1730. This was a higher proportion than even Prussia, a country that was so heavily militarized that it was described as 'not a country with an army, but an army with a country'. The Hessian army served as a readily available reserve for the Great Powers. During the American War of Independence, 25% of the British army consisted of troops rented from German princes, half of whom came from Hesse-Kassel and nearby Hesse-Hanau."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 0.875 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 0,85 g.
Catalog reference: KM 374, Fr-1275; Schütz 1423; Müller 2411; Slg. Mercator (Auktion Künker 220) -; Schön 19.
- 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.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Katalog 386: Brakteaten | Mainz | Bibliothek Prof. Dr. Niklot Klüßendorf | Mittelalter und Neuzeit | Goldprägungen | Deutsche Münzen ab 1871, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2023.
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