Lithuania 1548 ducat Fr-2
This specimen was lot 41158 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2026), where it sold for $36,000. The catalog description[1] noted, "Exceedingly Rare Vilnius Ducat of Sigismund II. POLAND. Lithuania. Ducat, 1548. Vilnius Mint. Sigismund II. PCGS Genuine--Devices Engraved, EF Details. An EXTREMELY RARE issue from Vilnius, offering pleasing details despite the devices being re-engraved in the portraiture. Sigismund Augustus Ducats are amongst the most demanded Polish types, with this example being even more desirable on account of its issuance from Vilnius. A desirable type that only appears on the market with the utmost infrequency, and we foresee no shortage of active bidders for this example. From the Collection of Kazmier Wysocki, former mayor of Hackensack, New Jersey." The tooling mentioned in the description is most evident on the reverse, where a plug has obliterated the first two digits of the date. This type was also struck in 1547, 1549 and 1553.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.5 g, 0.986 fine gold.
Catalog reference: Fr-2; H-Cz-7127 (R7); Kop-3322; Kurp-896; Ivanauskas-16SA3-1.
- 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 2026 NYINC Showcase Auction, Ancient and World Coins, featuring the Kazmier Wysocki Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.
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