Poland 1621-SA 100 ducats Fr-72
This specimen was struck in 1621 for Sigismund III (1587-1632), former king of Sweden who resigned his crown and converted to Catholicism to seize the throne of Poland. It is accompanied ninety, sixty, sixty, fifty and forty ducats, all rare. It was lot 3091 in Stack's Kroisos sale (New York, January 2008), where it sold for US$1,200,000. The catalog description noted
"POLAND. KINGDOM. Sigismund III, 1587-1632. 100 Ducats, 1621 SA. Polish victory over Turks at Chocim. Dies by Samuel Ammon of Danzig and Jacob Jacobson of Emden. Jacobson was just the experienced Mint executive needed to assure the success of this exciting project. Administrator at the Bromberg Mint until 1623, he took responsibility for Vilnius, Warsaw and Krakow and all crown Mints between 1623-1639, leasing the Danzig, Thorn and Elbing Mints before his death in 1639. The obverse presents an armored half-length bust of Swedish-born monarch of the House of Vasa r. wearing the Order of the Golden Fleece, Latin titles King of Poland and Sweden within an outer oak border of great intricacy and beauty. Rv. Crowned quartered Arms present the Polish White Eagle and Lithuania's Knight Vytis, with escutcheon of pretense presenting the Arms of Sweden and Vasa. Latin titles in the legend name Sigismund as Grand Duke of Lithuania, Russia, Prussia, Masuria, Samogitia and Livonia. The microscopic date is divided by the cross atop the crown. Fr.4, Hutten-Czapski 1414 R. Only two examples are known. This monumental Polish coin is a candidate for the largest Gold coin ever struck in Europe, and Stack's has handled both examples at one time or another. This fantastic rarity weighs in at nearly a troy pound of Gold and is the crowning glory not only of Polish coinage but of all European Gold. One of the two coins known was presented to the Pope by the Polish monarch, a fervent Catholic whose struggles to regain the Swedish crown created ongoing and ultimately fruitless challenges for the kingdom he ruled longest, Poland. Sigismund was the son of King John III of Sweden and spouse Catherine Jagellon, and was born in Gipsholm in 1566, elected King of Poland in 1587. He was crowned King of Sweden in 1594 but ceased to reign in 1601 and devoted the following years to increasingly futile attempts to recover the northern crown, dying in 1632. This amazing coin celebrated the victory of Polish forces led by Jan Chodkiewicz and Stanislas Lubomirski over Ottoman Sultan Osman's army at Chocim. Struck on a fully round planchet, boasting meticulous detail down to the pupil of the monarch's eye. Marvelous frosty lustre coalesces in the protected areas, with a bold die break just right of the Golden Fleece pendant on the reverse. A glass finds scattered hairlines in the ample expanse of the fields, to be expected in such a large and relatively soft Gold piece. Overall Extremely Fine or better and a coin sure to be the capstone of some great collection."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 350 g, .986 gold, 11.0 troy oz AGW, this specimen 69.46 x 69.1 mm, 4.9 mm thick. 349.49 g.
Catalog reference: KM H43, Fr-72.
- 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.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
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