Prussia 1753-C 1/2 friedrichs d'or Fr-2403
This specimen was lot 116 in Sincona sale 46 (Zürich, May 2018), where it sold for 7,500CHF (about US$8,999 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"Brandenburg/Prussia, Friedrich II. 1740-1786. 1/2 Friedrichs dor 1753 C, Kleve. Brustbild im Harnisch mit Hermelin und Ordensband mit Kreuz nach rechts. Rv. Gekrönter Adler auf Fahnen und Waffen, im Abschnitt Münzzeichen C und die geteilte Jahreszahl 17 - 53. Von grösster Seltenheit, nur wenige Exemplare bekannt. Sehr schön. Minimal gewellt. (Germany, kingdom of Prussia, Frederick II, 1740-86, half frederick d'or of 1753, Cleves mint. Obverse: armored, mantled bust with sash and cross to right; reverse: crowned eagle rising over piled arms, the mintmark divides the date. Very rare variety with two spears poking out of the piled arms. Of the highest rarity, only a few pieces known, Very fine, Minimally wavy flan.)"
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. The early issues are rare but the coin later came to be quite common and was imitated by other North German states as a five thaler gold coin. Cleves, in the northern part of the Rhineland, struck half friedrichs d'or (KM 56, 1753 only), friedrichs d'or (KM 52, 1751-53; KM 58, 1754-55), and double friedrichs d'or (KM 54, 1752-53), all rare.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.34 g, 0.903 fine gold, this specimen 3.26 g.
Catalog reference: Olding 422, Kluge 53, Fr-2403, KM 56 (listed under Cleves).
- 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.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, Auction 46, Gold Coins and Medals, Zürich: Sincona AG, 2018.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
Link to:
- 1751-C friedrichs d'or, uniformed bust
- 1752-A halb friedrichs d'or, bare bust
- 1752-A friedrichs d'or, uniformed bust
- 1752-A friedrichs d'or, bare bust
- 1752-B friedrichs d'or, uniformed bust
- 1753-D quarter stuber
- 1753 duit, Cleves mint
- 1753-C 2 stuber
- 1753-D 4 pfennig
- 1753-D mariengroschen
- 1753-E 2 groscher
- 1753-E 3 groscher
- 1753-St E 3 groscher
- 1753-B 18 kreuzer
- 1753-St E 6 groscher
- 1753-E 6 groscher
- 1753-G 6 groscher
- 1753-A 8 gute groschen
- 1753-F 8 gute groschen
- 1753-G 8 gute groschen
- 1753-E 18 groscher
- 1753-G 18 groscher
- 1753-F 1/48 thaler
- 1753-G 1/48 thaler
- 1753-A 1/24 thaler, monogram divides the date
- 1753-G 1/24 thaler
- 1753-A 1/12 thaler
- 1753-B 1/12 thaler
- 1753-C 1/6 thaler
- 1753-D 1/6 thaler
- 1753-F 1/6 thaler
- 1753-G 1/6 thaler
- 1753-C thaler
- 1753-A halb friedrichs d'or, bare bust
- Coins and currency dated 1753
- return to coins of German States, Prussia