Munsterberg-Oels 1546 3 ducat Fr-3232
This specimen was lot 40267 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2019), where it did not sell. The catalog description[1] noted,
"Struck on the 10th Anniversary of the Death of Karl I, Recorded as Unique in Friedberg. GERMANY. Silesia-Munsterberg-Oels. 3 Ducat, 1546. Joachim, Heinrich III and Karl II (1552-62). NGC VF-30. Obverse: Small bust of the deceased ruler left in court dress, order collar and soft cap, legend "KAROLVS. D.G. DVX. MVNSTERBERG" around; Reverse: Quartered arms in circle, legend "IOACH. HEN. IO. G.D. MVNSTERB" around. UNIQUE, struck for the 10th Anniversary of the death of Duke Karl I on a thick planchet from dies intended for a 1 Ducat coin. This extraordinary gold coin has seen its share of light handling, essentially pocket-piece wear, and shows a scattering of near-microscopic tics, but its status as an ultimate Silesian rarity makes any such characteristics irrelevant. Issued by one of the last Sovereign branches of this pivotal Duchy, it has major historical as well as numismatic significance. No other specimen exists and the collection that contains this coin will be as unequaled as the coin itself."
This example was offered again in Stack's Bowers 2022 ANA sale as lot 30437, where it sold for $28,800. The duchy is located in Silesia and fell to the Hapsburgs in the seventeenth century on the extinction of the line. Frederick the Great of Prussia seized Silesia in the 1740's but it is now part of Poland. Silver mining thalers exist in many varieties but gold mining ducats are unusual.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 10.5 g, 0.986 fine gold, 23 mm diameter, this specimen 10.15 grams.
Catalog reference: KM MB36 (unique), Fr-3232 (plate coin).
- 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.
- Nicol, N. Douglas, Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of German Coins, 1501-Present, 3rd ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- [1]Ponterio, Richard, Kyle Ponterio, Matt Orsini and Cris Chatigny, The January 2019 NYINC Sale: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2018.
Link to:
- 1545 ducat
- 1555 ducat, for the mines
- Coins and currency dated 1546
- return to coins of German States, Silesia