Sweden 1771-AL ducat Fr-74
This specimen was lot 1269 in Stack's Bowers sale of the L. E. Bruun Collection (Copenhagen, September 2024), where it sold for €22,800 (about US$25,267 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"Alluring Near-Gem With Bold Strike and Handsome Luster, SWEDEN. Ducat, 1771. Stockholm Mint. Gustav III. NGC MS-64. Mintmaster: Albrekt Lindberg (AL). Engraver: Carl Gustaf Fehrman. An EXTREMELY RARE Ducat with a mintage of 2,255, most of which were melted down; this example is the only such of this date certified by NGC. Given its already lofty status, this Ducat would be desirable in any grade, however this specimen goes beyond a mere average example, being exceptionally detailed in near-Gem preservation. Sharply struck and well-detailed, the tiny traces of friction are worth only a passing mention, leaving this as a most deserving representative of numerous premium bids. Ex: Countship of Brahesminde Collection (Private Sale - 1922). Ex: Alex A. Fröling Collection (Stockholm - 1857) Lot # 446."
This type was struck without interruption 1771-92 yet remains scarce. The highest mintage date is 1782 with 16,352 pieces. Ducats were also struck for Adolf Frederick (Fr-69) in 1771. KM-511, also struck in 1771, had the arms of Småland added below the royal arms on the reverse.
Recorded mintage: 2,255 including Fr-69 plus 1,556 of KM 511.
Specification: 3.48 g, 0.976 fine gold, 22.3 mm diameter, this specimen 3.47 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-74; KM-510; SM-1(1); SG-1; Hagander-484; Bruun-13087.
- Bjorne Ahlström, Yngve Almer and Bengt Hemmingson, Sveriges Mynt, 1521-1977, the Coinage of Sweden. Stockholm: Numismatika Bokforlaget AB, 1976.
- Delzanno, Roberto, Myntårsboken 2022, Sveriges Mynt 995-2021, 1:a upplagen, Stockholm, 2021.
- 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.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio, Jeremy Bostwick and Henrik Holt Christensen, The L. E. Bruun Collection - A Corpus of Scandinavian Monetary History Part I, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
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