Prussia 1747-AHE friedrichs d'or Fr-2383
This specimen was lot 3337 in Künker sale 353 (Osnabrück, Germany, September 2021), where it sold for €22,000 (about US$30,618 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRANDENBURG-PREUSSEN, PREUSSEN, KÖNIGREICH, Friedrich II. der Große, 1740-1786. Friedrichs d'or 1747, W-AHE, Breslau. Geharnischtes Brustbild r. mit umgelegtem Mantel und Ordensband//Adler zwischen Waffen auf Wappenschild, darauf "W" (= Wratislawia), oben Krone zwischen der geteilten Jahreszahl 17 - 47, unten die Signatur AHE (verbunden, Adam Heinrich von Ehrenberg, Münzmeister in Breslau 1743-1751). GOLD. RR Sehr attraktives Exemplar mit feiner Goldtönung, vorzüglich. Exemplar der Spezialsammlung Brandenburg-Preußen aus norddeutschem Privatbesitz, Auktion Fritz Rudolf Künker 60, Osnabrück 2000, Nr. 4324. (Germany, kingdom of Prussia, Frederick II the Great, 1740-86, frederick d'or of 1747, Breslau mint. Obverse: armored and mantled bust right with order sash; reverse: eagle between shield and weapons, "W" and date below. Very rare, very attractive example with fine gold toning, extremely fine.)"
Altho Frederick began his reign by minting ducats, in 1741 he switched to friedrichs d'or, a renamed version of the Wilhelm d'or minted by his father. This rare type was struck at Frederick's mint in Breslau, which he had seized from the Austrians a few years before in the War of the Austrian Succession. It is listed for 1746-48. Another friedrichs d'or, with a monogram reverse (Fr-2376), was also struck in 1747.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 6.68 g, 0.903 fine gold, this specimen 6.65 g.
Catalog reference: KM 930 (listed under Silesia), Fr-2383; Olding 390 b; Kluge 10.2.
- 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, Künker Auktion 353: Die Sammlung Axel Tesmer, Teil 2: Prägungen der Könige von Preussen von der Kroning 1701 bis zum Ende der Monarchie. Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2021.
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