Regensburg (1793)-GCB 10 ducats Fr-2570
This specimen was lot 42258 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2024), where it sold for $78,000. The catalog description[1] noted, "A Tremendous Gold Rarity, GERMANY. Regensburg. 10 Ducats, ND (1793). Regensburg Mint. Free City (in the name of Franz II). PCGS Genuine--Graffiti, Unc Details. Engraver Georg Christoph Busch. An immense and EXTREMELY RARE gold issue. This essentially uncirculated example displays a powerful portrait of the final Holy Roman emperor opposite the crossed keys of Regensburg. The expansive fields produce incredibly reflective golden luster that gives the devices a remarkable cameo contrast. A faint "X" graffito to the right of the bust accounts for the designation, but this is the only notable drawback on this otherwise impressively well-preserved specimen. An outstanding treasure from the waning years of the Holy Roman Empire. Ex: UBS Auction 60 (09/2004), Lot # 67." The SCWC lists this undated issue for 1742-1806, which is impossible, as Francis II didn't become emperor until 1792. The city lost its independence in 1803 when it was incorporated into Karl von Dahlberg's principality of Regensburg, then turned over to Bavaria in 1810, where it remains.
Recorded mintage: 4,866.
Specification: 34.9 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 34.76 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-2570; KM-468 (plate coin); Beckenbauer-224.
- 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.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, August 2024 Global Showcase Auction, World & Ancient Coins, featuring The Emilio M. Ortiz Collection, The Richard Margolis Collection and The Rutherford Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
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