Orange 1645 ducat Fr-198
This specimen was lot 3155 in Künker sale 264 (Osnabrück, June 2015), where it sold for €5,500 (about US$7,105 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ORANGE Frédéric Henri de Nassau, 1625-1647. Dukat 1645. Geharnischter Krieger steht nach r. mit der Rechten das Schwert schulternd, die Linke in die Hüfte gestemmt, zu den Seiten die geteilte Jahreszahl 16 - 45//Verzierte Kartusche mit vier Zeilen Schrift. GOLD. Von großer Seltenheit. Sehr schön. (principality of Orange, Frederick Henry of Nassau, 1625-47, ducat of 1645. Obverse: armored knight stands facing right with sword, dividing the date; reverse: four line inscription in cartouche. Very rare, very fine.)"
The Principality of Orange was an enclave in the kingdom of France in the Rhone valley, ruled by the dukes of Nassau. The title passed to the Stadtholder of the Netherlands who remained a French ally so long as the Dutch were struggling with the Spanish. At the end of the Thirty Years War in 1648, the Spanish recognized Dutch independence and now William had to contend with Louis XIV, a much more formidable adversary. The French occupied Orange in 1672 and annexed it in 1713. This is the only ducat listed for the locale.
Recorded mintage: unknown but rare.
Specification: 3.5 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 3.35 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-198; Duplessy 2164, KM 74.
- 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 Münzauktionen und Goldhandel, Catalog 264, Gold coins | Russian Coins and Medals | German Coins after 1871, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2015
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