Liechtenstein 1956 25 franken
This specimen was lot 1333 in Künker sale 352 (Osnabrück, Germany, September 2021), where it sold for €320 (about US$445 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"LIECHTENSTEIN, FÜRSTENTUM, Franz Joseph II. 1938-1989. 25 Franken 1956, Bern. Fürstenpaar. GOLD. Vorzüglich. (principality of Liechtenstein, Franz Joseph II, 1938-89, twenty-five franken of 1956, Bern mint. Extremely fine.)"
Liechtenstein, a tiny country sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria, has been ruled for generations by a Austrian family that did not even visit its domain until after World War One. The collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the loss of that family's estates in the crash forced the prince, Johan II, to focus on his tiny domain. Since then, Liechtenstein has been aligned with Switzerland. In 1924, the krone was dropped in favor of the frank, modelled on the Swiss franc. This twenty-five franken piece was issued and circulated specimens probably exist but who would be stupid enough to spend gold coins in post-WW2 Europe? Coinage for Liechtenstein since then has been sporadic and generally limited to commemoratives; the natives use Swiss money for everyday transactions.
Recorded mintage: 17,000.
Specification: 5.65 g, 0.900 fine gold, .163 troy oz AGW, this specimen 5,08 g in gold.
Catalog reference: KM Y15, Fr-21; Schl. 11; Divo 135.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- 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.
- Richter, Jürg, and Ruedi Kunzmann, Neuer HMZ-Katalog, Band 2: Die Münzen der Schweiz und Liechtensteins 15//16. Jahrhundert bis Gegenwart, Regenstauf, Germany: H. Gietl Verlag GmbH, 2006.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Künker Auktion 352: Die Sammlung Hermann Schwarz: Faszination des gepragten Goldes. Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2021.
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