Pomerania 1697-ICA 2 ducats Fr-2117
This specimen was lot 1257 in Stack's Bowers sale of the L. E. Bruun Collection (Copenhagen, September 2024), where it sold for €20,400 (about US$22,607 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"Beautifully Designed 2 Ducats from the Elusive Szczecin Mint, SWEDEN. Pomerania. 2 Ducats, 1697. Szczecin Mint. Karl XI. NGC MS-61. Mintmaster: Julius Christian Arensburg. Szczecin (or Stettin) was the capitol of Swedish Pomerania from the Peace at Westphalia in 1648 till the downfall of Karl XII in 1720 during which time the city was heavily fortified and also besieged several times. The reverse of this Mint State Ducat, lustrous, beautiful and VERY RARE, shows a sheaf on top of which lies the royal regalia. To the right in the background, on this particular variation, a charming little church is seen. Ex: Countship of Brahesminde Collection (Private Sale - 1922)."
On the lapse of the native dynasty in 1637, the duchy of Pomerania was contested between Sweden and Brandenburg until they agreed to partition it by the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. As Sweden gradually weakened, Brandenburg (later Prussia) gradually nibbled away at the Swedish portion until the remainder was seized in 1815. This type was struck by the Swedish king 1692-97 and undated but all issues are rare.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 6.98 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 6.94 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-2117; KM-342; SB-60; SG-85; Hagander-280; Kopicki-9942; Bruun auction-1534; Bruun-12552.
- Bjorne Ahlstrom, Yngve Almer and Bengt Hemmingson, Sveriges Mynt, 1521-1977, the Coinage of Sweden. Stockholm: Numismatika Bokforlaget AB, 1976.
- 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]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio, Jeremy Bostwick and Henrik Holt Christensen, The L. E. Bruun Collection - A Corpus of Scandinavian Monetary History Part I, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
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