Russia 1796-SP ducat Fr-133
This specimen was lot 54324 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2024), where it sold for $60,000. The catalog description[1] noted, "RUSSIA. Chervonetz (Ducat), 1796-CNB. St. Petersburg Mint. Catherine II "the Great". NGC MS-61. Variety with TI on shoulder. A RARE trade issue that was only issued during a few sporadic years, this Mint State survivor presents a deep and enticing golden-orange nature to the color along with a well executed strike. Meanwhile, the radiant brilliance truly captures the gaze of the viewer, as it seemingly offers as much luster as the day on which it departed the mint. A tremendous opportunity for the advanced collector of the series more narrowly, or difficult world gold coinage more broadly. From the Rothschild-Piatigorsky Collection." This very rare type was struck in the year of the empress's death. A few ducats were struck for Paul I (KM C102 and KM C103). Friedberg lumps all the ducats of Catherine II as Fr-133, even tho the different issues vary considerably. In the nineteenth century, the regime made millions of counterfeit Dutch ducats, a practice which ended only in the 1840's when the Dutch government protested.
Recorded mintage: 40,000.
Specification: 3.47 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 3.53 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-133; KM-C80c; Bit-108.
- Bitkin, Vladimir, Composite Catalogue of Russian Coins, Part II (1740-1917), Kiev: Moneta, 2003.
- Harris, Robert P., Guidebook of Russian Coins, 1725 to 1970, Santa Cruz, CA: Bonanza Press, 1971.
- 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, January 2024 NYINC Auction, featuring the Emilio M Ortiz Collection and a Symphony of Russian Rarities, the Rothschild-Piatigorsky Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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