Urbino (1538-74) ducat Fr-1203
This specimen was lot 727 in Sincona sale 69 (Zürich, May 2021), where it sold for 14,000 CHF (about US$18,581 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ITALY | Urbino. Guidobaldo II della Rovere, 1538-1574. Ducato d'oro o. J. Sehr selten. Sehr schön. Knapper Schrötling. (duchy of Urbino, Guidobaldo II della Rovere, 1538-74, undated gold ducat. Very rare, Very fine, Small flan.)"
The collapse of the authority of the pope in the Papal States in the late middle ages allowed many petty lordships to spring up, including Urbino near San Marino, long ruled by the Montefeltre family. The last Montefeltre duke was dispossessed by Cesare Borgia in 1502 and the duchy passed to the della Rovere family. The della Rovere ruled Urbino under papal suzerainty until the extinction of the family in 1626. Altho rare, this is the most common gold coin of this duchy. The woman holding the cross is St. Helen. There are several saints named Helen but the best known was the mother of Constantine the Great. In her final years, she made a religious tour of Syria Palaestina and Jerusalem, during which ancient tradition claims that she discovered the True Cross.
Reported Mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.5 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 3.23 g.
Catalog reference: CNI XIII,521,13 var., Fr-1203.
- 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]Jürg Richter, Auction 69, World Coins and Medals, Bullion Auction and Chinese Banknotes, Part 1, Zürich: Sincona AG, 2021.
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