Lithuania 1618 10 ducats Fr-4

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Stack's Bowers 2023 NYINC sale, lot 24010
SB0123-24010r.jpg

This specimen was lot 24010 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2023), where it sold for $132,000. The catalog description[1] noted,

"Hefty and Magnificent 10 Ducats of Sigismund III, From the Vilnius Mint, POLAND. Lithuania. 10 Ducats, 1618. Vilnius Mint. Sigismund III. PCGS Genuine--Plugged, AU Details. Obverse: Crowned and enrobed bust of Sigismund III right; Reverse: Crowned coat-of-arms with three crowns in uppermost right quadrant. Delivering an impressive heft and superb appeal, this Vilnius 10 Ducats could impress even the most spoilt of numismatic eyes. An important piece, and one of the few remaining of this type, this example is plated in Dutkowski's Zloto czasow dynastii Wazow, and the type has been off the secondary collector market for more than two decades according to our research. All of this should place this piece near the top of any Polish collector's wish list.

One is immediately drawn to the large die crack on the obverse at approximately 9 o'clock when looking at this piece. Some pronounced strike doubling is also seen, with particular force in the reverse legends. As PCGS notes, this example is plugged, a fault that is visible near 12 o'clock. The plug is rather small, and hidden amongst the margins, with its presence being confirmed by a different tone to the gold. Even with this fault, the present example is strongly detailed, and bears no excessive circulation or handling. 10 Ducats from Sigismund III are amongst the most popular of all world gold coins, and we expect this example to be no different. From the Anthony J. Taraszka Collection. Ex: Ahlstrom 63 (04/2001) Lot #1802."

Like other large multiple ducats, this would have been strictly a vanity piece for the king to pass around to his cronies. A five ducats also exists (KM 18). Sigismund III (1587-1632), former king of Sweden, resigned his crown and converted to Catholicism to seize the throne of Poland.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 35 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 34.67 g.

Catalog reference: KM 19, Fr-4; H-Cz-7478 (R7); Kop-3570 (R8); Kur-2191 (R8); Gum-1430.

Sources:

  • 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, The January 2023 NYINC Auction: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Taraszka Collection and the Mark and Dottie Salton Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.

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