Saxony 1617 4 ducats Fr-2665
This specimen was lot 20368 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2020), where it sold for $18,000. The catalog description[1] noted, "Extremely Rare King Solomon 4 Ducats -- One of Just Two Known. GERMANY. Saxony. 4 Ducats, 1617. Dresden Mint. Johann Georg I. PCGS Genuine--Repaired, EF Details Gold Shield. Obverse: VT SALOMON SIC EGO MATREM (I am as Solomon toward his mother), King Solomon standing left, holding scepter; to left, the Queen Mother, Bathsheba, seated slightly right on throne and wearing high-peaked veil; Reverse: MATERNIS PRECIBVS NIHIL FORTIVS (nothing is stronger than the hands of a praying man), armored hands uplifting hands that are praying; tetragrammaton (four letter name of the Lord in Hebrew) within the clouds above. The homage of Solomon unto his mother, Bathsheba, is paralleled here through this "celebration of Christ" issues of Johann Georg that are of the HIGHEST RARITY. These pieces honor Sophia of Brandenburg, the Electress of Saxony, with the present massive piece--one of just two known--seeing some moderate handling with some light edge damage at the edge along with some minor lamination near the central obverse field. Nevertheless, a tremendous opportunity for an incredibly rare and interesting Biblical issue." Altho listed in Friedberg, this is more likely to be a medal than a coin, given its rarity and the reformation-themed commemoratives already being made that year in Saxony.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 14 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 13.25 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-2665; Merseburger-887 var. (silver), KM unlisted..
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- 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, Richard Ponterio and Kyle Ponterio, The January 2020 NYINC Sale: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2019.
Link to:
- 1617 ⅛ thaler, on the centennial of the Reformation
- 1617 quarter thaler, on the centennial of the Reformation
- 1617 half thaler, on the centennial of the Reformation, king Solomon obverse
- 1617 half thaler, on the centennial of the Reformation
- 1617 half thaler, on the centennial of the Reformation, struck on quarter thaler dies
- 1617 thaler, centennial of the Reformation
- 1617(swan) thaler
- 1617 quadruple thaler, centennial of the Reformation
- 1617 ducat, centennial of the Reformation
- 1617 double ducat, King Solomon
- 1617 double ducat, centennial of the Reformation
- 1617 quadruple ducat, centennial of the Reformation
- 1617 5 ducats, on the centennial of the Reformation
- Coins and currency dated 1617