Munster 1678 goldgulden Fr-1776
This specimen was lot 30082 in Heritage sale 3029 (New York, January 2014), where it sold for $19,975. The catalog description[1] noted, "Rare Denomination for Type Munster. Christoph Bernhard gold Ducat 1678, AU50 NGC. Obv. Crowned coat of arms of Christoph Bernhard. Rev. 5-line Latin inscription that translates as: Elected 14 November 1650 / Died 19 September 1678 at the age of 73. An attractive specimen with rich orange-gold color. Delicate rub on the highpoints fails to have any effect on the design legibility. The strike is well centered on a slightly out-of-round flan with some peripheral doubling on the obverse, but a bold singular inscription on the reverse. A commemorative issue struck in the year of Prince-Bishop of Munster Christoph Bernhard von Galen's death. Amazingly, the 6 Ducat version of the type appears more frequently on the market, a telling fact about the true rarity of this denomination. Ex: "Colonel" E.H.R. Green; Green Estate' Partnership of Eric P Newman / B.G. Johnson." All the ducats of Munster are scarce. The town declined after it was destroyed during the Thirty Years' War.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.5 g, 0.986 fine gold.
Catalog reference: KM 92, Fr-1776.
- 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]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Stuart Levine and Bruce Lorich, Heritage World and Ancient Coins Auction 3029, featuring Selections from the Eric P. Newman Collection, Part III, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2013.
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