Prussia 1739-EGN wilhelms d'or Fr-2363
This specimen was lot 6503 in Künker sale 336 (Osnabrück, Germany, March 2020), where it sold for €5,500 (about US$7,197 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRANDENBURG-PREUSSEN, PREUSSEN, KÖNIGREICH, Friedrich Wilhelm I. der Soldatenkönig, 1713-1740. Wilhelms d'or 1739, EGN, Berlin. GOLD. R Feine Goldtönung, sehr schön +. Exemplar der Auktion Meister & Sonntag 6, Stuttgart 2008, Nr. 1932. (Germany, kingdom of Prussia, Frederick William I, 1713-40, william d'or of 1739. Berlin mint. Scarce, handsome toning, very fine or better.)
Der preußische Wilhelms d'or wurde von Friedrich Wilhelm I. eingeführt und nach ihm benannt. Er fällt etwas aus der Reihe der Pistolen heraus. Während normalerweise die 5-Taler-Stücke in Gold als Louis d'or, Max d'or und auch später in Preußen als Friedrichs d'or bezeichnet wurden, wurde hier das Doppelstück, also die 10-Taler-Goldmünze nach dem Namensgeber benannt. (The Prussian Wilhelms d'or was introduced by Friedrich Wilhelm I and named after him. It falls into the category of pistoles. While the 5-taler pieces in gold were usually referred to as Louis d'or, Max d'or and later also in Prussia as Friedrichs d'or, the double piece, i.e. the 10-taler gold coin, was always called the Wilhelms d'or.)"
The SCWC reports the weight of this issue as 6.68 g with the accompanying half wilhelms d'or as 3.34 g. This does not match the weight reported for this specimen or the photo in the SCWC, which matches the size of the later doppelter freidrichs d'or at 13.36 g. This type was struck with variations 1737-40 and is rare. The specimen shown here is the second type with the monograms on the reverse appearing as "FW". See the 1737 issue (KM 219) for the first type.
Recorded mintage: 5,021 for 1737-40.
Specification: 13.36 g, 0.903 fine gold, this specimen 13.34 g.
Catalog reference: KM 220, Fr-2363; v. Schr. 186.
- 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 Münzauktionen und Goldhandel, Catalog 336: Gold coins from all over the World|German Coins after 1871. Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2020.
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