Salzburg 1593 10 ducats Fr-677

Heritage sale 3096, lot 30090

This specimen was lot 30090 in Heritage auction 3096 (Dallas, TX, March 2021), where it sold for $114,000. The catalog description^[1] noted,

"Practically Choice "Tower" 10 Ducat Geschenkmuenze. Austria - Salzburg. Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau gold 10 Ducat 1593 MS62 NGC. A treasured gold type within the Salzburg series, and in a state of preservation that would be incredibly hard to surpass, this being the only Mint State example certified by either grading service. Due to its impressive size and the softness of the metal, multiple ducats such as this are frequently encountered with prominent dings or contact marks, and in many cases graffiti, as is seen on both the Zöttl plate coin as well as the 8 Ducat striking in the Numitor Collection. Perhaps this comes from the probable purpose of the issue itself. It has been postulated that these "tower" coins were given as gifts to the soldiers that Wolf Dietrich contributed to Emperor Rudolf II in his war against the Turks, for which the tempest-beset tower surmounted by a cross may have been an allegory. Additionally, it has been proposed that the tower was a symbol of the Catholic Church withstanding the threats posed by the Reformation. In either case, locating such a near-choice survivor is a considerable feat. For reference, we note that the Millennia example, certified at just AU58, reportedly brought $25,000 in 2008. From the Paramount Collection."

Wolf Dietrich ruled for 25 years (1687-1612) and issued large number of gold coins. This series of 1593 included sixteen ducats (Fr-675) down to three ducats (Fr-687), some in klippe format. All are rare. The archbishopric was secularized in 1803 and passed to Austria in 1814.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 35 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 34.45 g.

Catalog reference: Fr-677, Probszt-727, Numitor Collection-Unl., Zöttl-831.

Source:

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.
Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
Helmut Zöttl, Salzburg Münzen und Medaillen, 1500-1810, 2 vols. Salzburg: Verlag Fruhwald, 2008.
^[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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Salzburg 1593 10 ducats Fr-677

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