Thorn (1557-77) ducat Fr-173d
This specimen was lot 3016 in Künker sale 263 (Osnabrück, June 2015), where it sold for €3,000 (about US$3,875 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"THOREN Margaretha von Brederode, 1557-1577. Dukat o. J. mit Titel Ferdinands I. GOLD. RR Sehr schön. (county of Thorn, Margaretha von Brederode, 1557-1577, undated ducat, in the name of Ferdinand I, rare, very fine.)"
It is tempting to narrow the dates of issue of this undated type to prior to Ferdinand's death in 1564, but many Dutch coins of the sixteenth century are known to have been struck posthumously. It was a way of criticizing the current regime by slyly referring to the "good old days."
Recorded mintage: unknown but rare.
Specification: 3.5 g, 0.986 fine gold; this specimen 3,36 g.
Catalog reference: Delm-263 (R2); Fr-173 d.
- 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.
- van der Wis, Jan, and Tom Passon, Catalogus van de Nederlandse Munten geslagen sind bet aantreden van Philips II tot aan het einde van de Bataafse Republiek (1555-1806), 2nd ed., Apeldoorn, Netherlands: Omni-Trading b.v., 2009.
- [1]Künker Münzauktionen und Goldhandel, Catalog 264, Gold coins | Russian Coins and Medals | German Coins after 1871, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2015
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