Passau 1716 1/2 ducat Fr-2072
This specimen was lot 656 in Künker Auction 424 (Osnabrück, July 2025), where it sold for €3,200 (about US$4,531 including buyers' fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"DEUTSCHE MÜNZEN UND MEDAILLEN · PASSAU, BISTUM Raymund Ferdinand von Rabatta, 1713-1722. 1/2 Dukat 1716, Augsburg. Gekröntes Monogramm//Wolf steht aufrecht nach r. und hält die Vorderbeine auf das verzierte Familienwappen. GOLD. Von großer Seltenheit. Leicht gewellt, fast vorzüglich. (Germany, bishopric of Passau, Raymund Ferdinand of Rabatta, 1713-22, half ducat of 1716, Augsburg mint. Obverse: crowned monogram; reverse: a wolf stands right, supporting the quartered arms of the bishop. Extremely rare, slightly wavy, about extremely fine.)"
The red wolf on a white background is the badge of Passau; the wolf shown here is supporting the personal arms of the bishop, who spent part of his reign squabbling with the bishop of Vienna, who wanted to be raised to an archbishop. The bishopric of Passau was annexed to Bavaria in 1803 and 1805.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specifications: 1.75 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 1,74 g.
Catalog reference: KM 65, Kellner 156; Forster -; Fr-2072.
- 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.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [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: