Transylvania 1607-SL ducat Fr-319
This specimen was lot 4301 in Sincona sale 26 (Zürich, October 2015), where it sold for 6,250 CHF (about US$7,720 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"Stephan Bocskai, 1604-1606 Dukat 1607. Von grosser Seltenheit. Gutes vorzüglich. (principality of Transylvania, Stephen Bocskai, 1604-06, ducat of 1607. Extremely rare, good extremely fine.)"
The princes of Transylvania were sandwiched between the Ottoman Empire to the south and the Hapsburg dominions to the west and attempted to maintain independence from both. The Hapsburgs reconquered Hungary from the Turks in the 1680's and ended Transylvanian autonomy. This type is listed for 1605-07 and is not noted as especially rare in the SCWC.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.5 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 3.44 g.
Catalog reference: Resch 98. Fr-319, KM 16.
- 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.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Adolf Resch, Siebenburgische Münzen und Medaillen von 1538 bis Gegenwart. Hermannstadt, 1901 (reprinted in Montreal, 1965).
- [1]Richter, Jürg, Ruedi Kunzmann and Arne Kirsch, Numismatic Coins & Medals, Auction 26, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2015.
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