Mainz (1404-09) goldgulden Fr-1620
The first specimen was lot 3740 in Künker sale 264 (Osnabrück, June 2015), where it sold for €625 (about US$807 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ERZBISTUM Johann II. von Nassau, 1397-1419. Goldgulden o. J. (1404-1409), Höchst. GOLD. Sehr schön +. (Germany, archbishopric of Mainz, John II of Nassau, 1397-1419, undated gold gulden, Hochst mint. Very fine or better.)"
The second specimen was lot 34578 in Heritage sale 3038 (Dallas, January 2015), where it did not sell. The catalog description[2] noted, "Mainz. Johann II von Nassau Goldgulden ND (1404-1409) MS62 NGC). Bingen mint. An enchanting example of this early gold type. With full mint brilliance. With old dealer's envelope enclosed." The archbishops of Mainz were prolific issuers of gold coins in the late middle ages but output dropped in the late fifteenth century, never to recover. This type comes without dates.
Recorded mintage: unknown but common.
Specification: 3.5 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 3.56 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-1620 (dort falsch beschrieben); Slg. Walther 110; Schlegel 25.
- 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 Münzauktionen und Goldhandel, Catalog 264, Gold coins | Russian Coins and Medals | German Coins after 1871, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2015.
- [2]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and Scott Cordry, Heritage Signature Auction 3038, featuring the Empire, the Santa Catarina, the Law and the Santa Maria Collections, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2014.
Link to: