Passau 1563 2 ducats Fr-2064
This specimen was lot 633 in Künker Auction 424 (Osnabrück, July 2025), where it sold for €26,000 (about US$36,816 including buyers' fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"DEUTSCHE MÜNZEN UND MEDAILLEN · PASSAU, BISTUM Urban von Trennbach, 1561-1598. 2 Dukaten 1563, Passau. + VRBANVS · D · G · EP · PATAVIEN · I · 5 · 6 · 3 Vierfeldiges Familienwappen//· S · STEPHANVS · - · PROTHOMART : Der heilige Stephan steht v. v. mit Palmzweig, Buch und drei Steinen, davor Stiftswappen. GOLD. Von allergrößter Seltenheit. Winz. Randfehler, min. gewellt, sehr schön +. Exemplar der Auktion Jacques Schulman 244, Amsterdam 1966, Nr. 643 (Fund von Serooskerke); der Auktion H. D. Rauch 35, Wien 1985, Nr. 1974 und der Auktion Bankhaus Partin 22, München 1986, Nr. 88. (Germany, bishopric of Passau, Urban von Trennbach, 1561-1598, double ducat of 1536, Passau mint. Obverse: quartered arms of the bishop; reverse: St. Stephen stands facing, with book, three stones and a palm branch, supporting the arms of the bishopric. Extremely rare, some edge defects, slightly wavy, very fine or better.)"
A four ducats also exists for 1563. The bishopric of Passau was annexed to Bavaria in 1803 and 1805.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specifications: 6.98 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 6,64 g.
Catalog reference: KM unlisted, Fr-2064 ("Very rare"); Kellner 91.
- Nicol, N. Douglas, Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of German Coins, 1501-Present, 3rd ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- 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, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Katalog 424: Münster, Osnabrück, and the Peace of Westphalia | The Fuggers, Leuchtenberg, and Passau | The Collection of a German Manufacturer and History Enthusiast, Part 3, e.g., Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2025.
Links: