Teutonic Order 1610 10 ducats Fr-3379a
This specimen was lot 52086 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2024), where it sold for $96,000. The catalog description[1] noted, "GERMANY. Teutonic Order. 10 Ducats, 1610. Hall Mint. Maximilian of Austria, as Grand Master. PCGS AU-55. Obverse: Crowned and armored Grand Master standing with sword, legend : MAX: D G: AR: AVS: DVX: B-VR: MAG: PRVSS: ADMI around; Reverse: Circle of heraldic shields surrounding Knight on caparisoned horse, Order arms at base. Struck from dies that were used to produced Talers of the date (KM-10; Dav-5849), possibly for use as storage of bullion or in very large transactions, or, especially given its extreme rarity, perhaps more likely as a form of presentation issue for an important dignitary. Though examples of this hefty gold denomination are known for other dates in the series, we are unable to trace a second example dated 1610, and as such the present piece may be considered POTENTIALLY UNIQUE. Overall the surfaces exhibit bright yellow-golden splendor, with light, even wear apparent over the high points of the design. The presence of some scratches in the fields and peripheries is noted for completeness. From the Karl and Gertrude Pfatschbacher Collection." The auctioneers stated that this coin was not listed in the SCWC; we note KM 14, dated 1611, which has obverse legend "MAX:DG:ARCH:AV:DVX:B VR:MAG:PRVSS ADM:"; this specimen has obverse legend "MAX:DG:AR:AVS:DVX:B VR:MAG:PRVSS:ADM:". The auctioneers are most likely correct in stating that this coin was struck using thaler dies, a common practice in the seventeenth century; unfortunately, we don't have an image of Dav-5849 for comparison. See Dav-5851 for a similar thaler. The major domains of the Teutonic Order were in Prussia, Livonia and Estonia but they had estates in the Holy Roman Empire as well, which they retained after the loss of their Baltic domains.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 34.9 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 34.27 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-3379a; KM-14 (Unlisted date).
- 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, January 2024 NYINC Auction, featuring the Emilio M Ortiz Collection and a Symphony of Russian Rarities, the Rothschild-Piatigorsky Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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