Livonia 1667-IM 2 ducats Fr-17
This specimen was lot 31256 in Heritage Sale 3115 (Chicago, May 2024), where it sold for $72,000. The catalog description[1] noted,
"Livonia: Riga - Swedish Occupation. Charles XI gold 2 Ducat 1667-IM MS62 NGC. Initials I - M for Joachim Meinecke, mint master in Riga 1661-1697. Charles XI ascended to the Swedish throne on February 13, 1660, at the age of four, following the death of his father, Charles X Gustav. Due to his minority, a regency ruled until he came of age in 1672. On the obverse of this coin, he is therefore depicted as a child just entering his teens. The fields on this selection are remarkably Prooflike, lending a dramatic, dark canvas to the raised motifs. Currently the finest certified at NGC and a fetching selection that should pique the interest of collectors of Scandinavian and the Baltic regions' gold coinage. Sweden's occupation of Riga and Livonia in the early 17th century marked a significant period of control and influence in the Baltic region. During the Swedish Empire's height, the capture of these territories from Poland-Lithuania in the Polish-Swedish Wars extended Swedish influence, bringing about economic prosperity and administrative reforms that integrated the regions more closely into the Swedish realm. The Swedish occupation of Riga and Livonia ended as a result of the Great Northern War (1700-1721), a conflict that saw several European powers, including Russia, Denmark-Norway, and Saxony-Poland, oppose Swedish dominance in the Baltic. The war culminated in significant territorial losses for Sweden. Most notably, the Treaty of Nystad in 1721 ceded Livonia, along with other Baltic territories, to Russia, marking a major shift in regional power dynamics and effectively ending Sweden's reign as a major power in the area. This marked the beginning of Russian influence in Riga and Livonia, significantly altering the region's political and cultural landscape."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 6.98 g, 0.986 fine gold.
Catalog reference: KM-63, Fr-17 (listed under Latvia), Neumann-54.
- 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]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, 2024 May 8 - 10 CSNS World Coins Platinum Session and Signature® Auction #3115, featuring the Ezen Collection, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2024.
Link to:
- Lithuania 1666-TLB HKPL ducat Fr-9, Vilnius mint
- Thorn 1667-HDL 2 ducats Fr-59, Jan Casimir
- Livonia (16)69 1/24 thaler = 3 polker
- Livonia 1673 ducat Fr-18, Charles XI of Sweden
- Coins and currency dated 1667