Lubeck 1675 2 ducats Fr-1485
This specimen was lot 4020 in Künker sale 406 (Osnabrück, March 2024), where it sold for €6,000 (about US$7,873 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"LÜBECK, STADT, 2 Dukaten 1675, mit dem Abzeichen des Bürgermeisters Matthäus Rodde. GOLD. Von größter Seltenheit. Sehr schön. (city of Lubeck, double ducat of 1675. Extremely rare, very fine.)"
As the city of Lubeck was a republic, not a monarchy, there was no need to periodically update the ruler's portrait. The standing knight design is strongly reminiscent of Dutch ducats of the same period. The SCWC lists 24 dates known over the period of 1656-1716 yet, despite what seems substantial production, the type is very rare. This example realized double the catalog value despite being well worn.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 6.98 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 6,80 g.
Catalog reference: KM 89, Behrens 654; Fr-1485.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- 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]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Katalog 406: Gold Coins | Coins and Medals from the Medieval and Modern Times, a. o. Löwenstein-Wertheim | German Coins after 1871, a. o. Patterns from the Coenen Collection, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2024.
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