Strasbourg 1617 2 ducats Fr-234a
This specimen was lot 40394 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Costa Mesa, CA, August 2021), where it sold for $14,400. The catalog description[1] noted, "Exceedingly Rare Reformation 2 Ducats Klippe, GERMANY. Strasburg. 2 Ducats Klippe, 1617. NGC AU-55. Commemorating the Centennial of the Reformation. Obverse: IV / BILAEVM / ARGENTORA / TENSE in four lines; all within floral border; Reverse: POST / TENEBRAS / LVX (after the darkness, light) in three lines; arabesque above; all within floral border. A seemingly unique offering in this module, the present specimen offers rich luster and radiance, along with little evidence of any actual wear or handling. Boldly struck and intensely attractive, this EXCEEDINGLY RARE piece is a must for the advanced collection of coins and medals celebrating Martin Luther or the Reformation. Ex Stack's (1/2008) Lot # 2577." Klippe ducats, originally invented as siege coinage, became popular in the seventeenth century as a format for commemorative issues. The SCWC does not mention this coin but notes a similar klippe thaler (KM 312.3, Dav-5846B), also very rare. At the time, the town was a free city in the Holy Roman Empire.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 7 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 21 mm diameter, 6.7 g.
Catalog reference: KM unlisted, Fr-234a (under France); Whiting-91 var. (Ducat Klippe).
- 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, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The August 2021 ANA sale: World and Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
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