Prussia 1849-A 1/2 friedrichs d'or Fr-2433
This specimen was lot 1844 in Künker sale 352 (Osnabrück, Germany, September 2021), where it sold for €1,400 (about US$1,948 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRANDENBURG-PREUSSEN, PREUSSEN, KÖNIGREICH, Friedrich Wilhelm IV. 1840-1861. 1/2 Friedrichs d'or 1849, A. GOLD. Min. berieben, fast vorzüglich. (kingdom of Prussia, Frederick William IV, 1840-61, half frederick d'or of 1849. Polished, about extremely fine.)"
This type was struck in Berlin 1841-49 and is listed in the SCWC as a half "frederick d'or." The last double friedrichs d'or was struck in 1855 (KM 470) and was replaced by the gold krone (KM 492, struck 1861-70), which contained about 70/83 of the gold in the previous denomination. The gold krone was in turn superseded by the gold twenty mark of the German Empire. The gold halb friedrichs d'or was worth 2½ thalers.
Recorded mintage: unknown but rare.
Specification: 3.34 g, 0.903 fine gold, this specimen 3.38 g.
Catalog reference: KM 441, Divo/S. 166; Fr-2433; Schl. 624; Olding 359.
- 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, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Künker Auktion 352: Die Sammlung Hermann Schwarz: Faszination des gepragten Goldes. Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2021.
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