Russia (1613-45) 4 ducats Fr-27
This specimen was lot 22151 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2023), where it sold for $15,600. The catalog description[1] noted, "Elegant 4 Ducats Novodel of Michael I Feodorovich, RUSSIA. Gold 4 Ducats Novodel, ND ("1613-45") (struck ca. 19th Century). St. Petersburg Mint. Michael I Feodorovich. NGC MS-63. Both sides of this engaging later striking feature a crowned imperial double eagle, with the difference being the design of the shield on the breast feathers. While one side exhibits St. George on horseback slaying the dragon, the other displays what appears to be a unicorn. This latter imagery, however, likely relates to Russian folklore, in which the "indrik-beast" (индрик-зверь) is believed to be the king of all animals, having the body of a bull, the legs of a deer, the head of a horse, and a horn near its snout--ultimately yielding a pseudo-unicorn flair. Quite sharply struck and exceptionally brilliant, with charming eye appeal and a great deal of RARITY." The coinage of the early Romanovs is generally rare, the gold especially so. It is easy to understand why the mint would strike novodels in the nineteenth century, where anyone with the right connections could have anything made.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 14 g, 0.986 fine gold.
Catalog reference: Fr-27; Kaim-1410.
- 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]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The January 2023 NYINC Auction: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Taraszka Collection and the Mark and Dottie Salton Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
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