Saxony 1686 ducat Fr-2753
This specimen was lot 30088 in Heritage sale 3029 (New York, January 2014), where it sold for $9,400. The catalog description[1] noted, "No Recent Offerings Saxony. Johann Georg III gold Ducat 1686, MS62 NGC. Obv. Armored bust of Johann Georg III right. Rev. Four crowned shields with crossed swords and the date. Greenish-gold patina appears on lustrous, lightly marked surfaces. This is an extremely rare issue with no recent auction records. Johann Georg was born in Dresden, the only son of Johann Georg II and Magdalene Sybille of Brandenburg-Bayreuth. He succeeded his father as Elector of Saxony in 1680. He died in 1691, after contracting an epidemic illness while in the midst of one of his military campaigns. Ex: "Colonel" E.H.R. Green; Green Estate' Partnership of Eric P Newman / B.G. Johnson." This one year type is not common but is about the same rarity as other ducats of the period, such as Fr-2750, -2755, -2767 and -2770. The electors of Saxony were more interested in claiming the throne of Poland than developing their realm, impoverishing both countries in the process.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.5 g, 0.986 fine gold.
Catalog reference: KM 591, Fr-2753.
- 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]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.
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