Regensburg (1745-50)-ICB 6 ducats Fr-2527

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Heritage sale 3096, lot 30266
H3096-30266r.jpg

This specimen was lot 30266 in Heritage auction 3096 (Dallas, TX, March 2021), where it sold for $240,000. The catalog description[1] noted,

"Star-Graded Prooflike 6 Ducat - One of a Mere 3 Struck. German States: Regensburg. Free City gold Medallic 6 Ducat ND (1745-1765)-ICB MS62★ Prooflike NGC, Regensburg mint. By Johann Leonhard Öxlein. Johann Christoph Busch as mintmaster. With the name and titles of Franz I. Struck from Taler dies (cf. KM 318). An astonishing survivor in all regards. Coins struck in Regensburg during the reigns of Karl VII and Franz I are particularly renowned amongst collectors for their superior execution, medallic characteristics, and careful preservation. To find such a series rarity--with a mere 3 struck--presenting a mirrored sheen and corresponding "star" designation for superior eye appeal, truly represents a noteworthy opportunity. A thick frost overlays the sharp reliefs and wide rims, while reflectivity in the fields produces a nearly cameo finish. Produced to a level of painstaking precision, that this piece may have been intended for presentation purposes is instantly apparent.

Although the circumstances surrounding the production of this issue are far from clear, there is perhaps some chance that it may have been struck in association with the Treaty of Dresden, which ended the Second Silesian War in December 1745, and resolved the dispute over the possession of Silesia, primarily between Friedrich the Great of Prussia and Maria Theresa, Franz I's wife. Forrer indeed records from Öxlein a "Christmas Medal" of Franz commemorating this same occasion, and perhaps it is no coincidence that 3 of these 6 ducats were struck and that the Treaty was signed between three powers--Austria, Saxony, and Prussia. Is it possible that such coins were meant for the corresponding heads of state? Such a hypothesis certainly requires further research.

To our knowledge, only one other example has appeared at auction, lot 56 in UBS's September 2004 Auction 60, cited by the Standard Catalog of World Coins (and plated in that reference) as realizing $31,080. While the photos from that sale do not permit an accurate comparison of the condition of the two pieces, it is difficult to imagine that the present specimen is exceeded in its overall quality. Of the highest rarity. From the Paramount Collection."

This undated type was accompanied by 20, 10, 5, four, three, half and quarter ducats. It was probably minted to apologize to Francis I for supporting his rival Karl VII in the War of the Austrian Succession.

Recorded mintage: 3.

Specification: 21 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 20.88 g.

Catalog reference: KM 341 (Rare), Fr-2527, Plato-Unl., Bach Collection-Unl., Beckenbauer-215, VI.

Source:

  • Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
  • Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
  • 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.
  • [1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano and Warren Tucker, Heritage World and Ancient Coins Auction 3096, featuring the Paramount Collection of World & Ancient Coins, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2021.

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