Paar 1794 5 ducats Fr-569
This specimen was lot 30087 in Heritage auction 3096 (Dallas, TX, March 2021), where it sold for $72,000. The catalog description[1] noted,
"An Exquisite Austrian Rarity. Austria - Paar. Prince Wenzel gold 5 Ducat 1794 MS60 NGC, Vienna mint. By Johan Nepomuk Würth. Struck from 1/2 Taler dies (cf. KM 5). An extremely rare gold emission produced in a design identical to the 1/2 Talers of the same date, with both the Standard Catalog of World Coins and Friedberg denoting the scarcity of the type, only further supported by a lack of verifiable auction records. Standing as the sole certified example of its issue, this offering reveals evenly dispersed signs of handling in the form of fine wispy hairlines, with all details fully struck and the fields bathed in golden luminosity that cascades smoothly across the fields, particularly to the reverse, where an element of reflectivity makes its presence known. For accuracy, a single light scratch is noted to the right obverse field. Our research indicates that no other examples have sold in the last 20 years or more, and with its formidable combination of immense rarity, ornate detail, and covetable Mint State preservation, the sale of this very coin will serve as a guide to future collectors as to the otherwise nearly impossible valuation of this highly elusive and covetable type. From the Paramount Collection."
In 1794, the prince issued a half thaler (KM 5), thaler (KM 6), ducat (KM 7), five ducats (shown here) and ten ducats (KM 9). It is the last issue by this family.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 17.5 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 13.97 g.
Catalog reference: KM 8 (Rare), Fr-569 (Rare), Horsky-Unl.
- 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.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- [1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano and Warren Tucker, Heritage World and Ancient Coins Auction 3096, featuring the Paramount Collection of World & Ancient Coins, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2021.
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