Prussia 1787-A ducat Fr-2419
This specimen was lot 3541 in Künker sale 294 (Osnabrück, Germany, July 2017), where it sold for €1,550 (about US$2.089 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRANDENBURG-PREUSSEN, PREUSSEN, KÖNIGREICH, Friedrich Wilhelm II. 1786-1797. Dukat 1787, A, Berlin. Handelsmünze. GOLD. Min. gewellt, sehr schön-vorzüglich. Die offiziellen Goldmünzen Preußens waren die "Pistolen" (Friedrichs d'or) zu 5 Talern. In vielen Teilen Europas (norddeutsche Küstenländer, Süddeutschland, Niederlande und Osteuropa) war jedoch der Dukat die gängige Goldmünze. Der Handel mit diesen Ländern führte daher zur Ausprägung von Dukaten. (Germany, kingdom of Prussia, Frederick William II, 1786-97, ducat of 1787, Berlin mint, trade coinage. Slightly bent, very fine to extremely fine. While the "frederick d'or" was the normal Prussian gold coin, these ducats were minted for the trade with many parts of Central Europe which favored ducats.)"
This is the first issue of ducats from Prussia since the 1740's. It was struck 1787 and 1790.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.5 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 3,48 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-2419; J. 181; Olding 62, KM 352.
- [1]Künker Münzauktionen und Goldhandel, Katalog 294: Goldprägungen | Deutsche Münzen ab 1871 | Russische Münzen und Medaillen, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2017.
- 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.
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