Saxony 1628-HI 10 ducats Fr-2690
This specimen was lot 30272 in Heritage auction 3096 (Dallas, TX, March 2021), where it sold for $72,000. The catalog description[1] noted,
"Potentially the First Auction Appearance of this Extremely Rare 10 Ducat Type in Over 50 Years. German States: Saxony. Johann Georg I gold 10 Ducat (Portugalöser) 1628-HI UNC Details (Plugged) NGC, Dresden mint. Hans Jacob as mintmaster. Struck from 2 Taler dies (cf. KM 391). A series which inspires immense interest among collectors. Seldom offered at auction, Saxon gold multiples from the time of the Thirty Years' War are, without exception, exceedingly rare. For this 10 Ducat in particular, Schnee knew of only two examples--one recorded by Joseph Baumgarten in his seminal study from 1812 (in the Herzogliches Münzkabinett in Gotha), and a single piece in the Hermitage Museum. To that, we can add the far inferior specimen sold as lot 136 of Hess-Leu's Goldprägungen auction of October 1962.
While the present specimen does admit a minor repair around 12 o'clock, almost certainly associated with its prized status and past use for personal adornment, the remainder of the coin seems to have survived nearly 400 years virtually unscathed. The fields remain highly lustrous and wholly original, layered in a satin texture over deeply impressed design motifs. By all indications, the first auction appearance for the type of which we are aware since 1962, and a coveted opportunity as such.
While the exact circumstances for the production of this multiple ducat remain elusive to us, perhaps some insight can be gained through its imagery and situation within Johann Georg's wider coinage. While virtually all of the early coins from his sole reign depicted the Duke in full armor as a warrior-prince (save for a few talers of 1612, issued following the death of his brother, and co-ruler Christian II), his coinage from 1617 featured him as Prince-Elector (Kurfürst), wearing the electoral robes, cap, and carrying the electoral sword. Following a brief interlude between his Reformation Centennial issues and those of the vicariate, the electoral portraiture resumed in 1626-1628, Johann Georg having thrown his support behind the Catholic Emperor, Ferdinand II, in conjunction with Luther's instruction to "follow the powers that be." It is possible that the imagery here was meant to reassert his public image as the leader of the German Lutherans, particularly as his unease towards imperial policy began to mount, capped off by Ferdinand's Edict of Restitution in 1629. From the Paramount Collection."
Friedberg also notes a 1628 8 ducats.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 35 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 34.95 g.
Catalog reference: KM-B418 (Rare), Fr-2690 (Very Rare), Merseburger-Unl., Dassdorf-Unl., Wilmersdörffer-Unl., Vogel Collection-Unl., Schnee-849, Baumgarten-263 (Very Rare, "never before cited").
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- 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]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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