Russia 1729 ducat Fr-102
This specimen was lot 30237 in Heritage sale 3029 (New York, January 2014), where it sold for $205,625. The catalog description[1] noted, "Exceedingly Rare One-Year Type Peter II gold Ducat 1729, Red mint, AU50 NGC. A splendid example of this exceedingly rare one-year type, with considerable remaining luster and sharp definition. The "no hair ribbon" variety is, by far, the rarer of the two major types for this seldom-seen issue. Peter II had a thoroughly miserable life, losing his mother shortly after his birth, and his imprisoned father when he was only three. He was kept in seclusion until the death of his uncle, Peter the Great, in 1725. Although he was crowned Emperor following the death of Catherine I's death in 1727, his reign was brief, as he died of smallpox in 1730. Ex: 'Colonel' E.H.R. Green; Green Estate' Partnership of Eric P Newman / B.G. Johnson." The Russian regime minted ducats on numerous occasions during the eighteenth century but always in small quantities. Survivors are today very rare.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.47 g, 0.986 fine gold.
Catalog reference: Fr-102; KM-186; Bitkin 7 (no hair ribbon, 5 scallops) (R2), Diakov 6, IT 6 (50 Rub), Petr 1 (R-50).
- Bitkin, Vladimir, Composite Catalogue of Russian Coins, Part I (1699-1740), Kiev: Moneta, 2003.
- Harris, Robert P., Guidebook of Russian Coins, 1725 to 1970, Santa Cruz, CA: Bonanza Press, 1971.
- [1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Stuart Levine and Bruce Lorich, Heritage World and Ancient Coins Auction 3029, featuring Selections from the Eric P. Newman Collection, Part III, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2013.
- 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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