View source for Austria 1754 5 ducats Fr-402

[[Image:Austria Kunker 264-03460q00.jpg|550px|thumb|Künker sale 264, lot 3460]]

This specimen was lot 3460 in Künker sale 264 (Osnabrück, June 2015), where it sold for €7,500 (about US$9,689 including buyer's fees). The catalog description<sup>[1]</sup> noted, <blockquote>"''Maria Theresia, 1740-1780. 5 Dukaten 1754, Wien. Brustbild r. mit Diadem und umgelegtem Mantel//Gekrönter Doppeladler, auf der Brust gekröntes, vierfeldiges Wappen mit Mittelschild, unten in Kartusche die Wertzahl "V". GOLD. Von großer Seltenheit. Attraktives Exemplar, min. Henkelspur, winz. Bearbeitungsstelle im Feld der Vorderseite, fast vorzüglich/vorzüglich.'' (Austria, Maria Theresia, 1740-80, five ducats of 1754, Vienna mint. Obverse: diademed and mantled bust; reverse: crowned double headed eagle with crowned arms on breast, value in cartouche below. Very rare, attractive, mount mark, tooling in fields, choice extremely fine.)"</blockquote> On the death of Charles VI in 1740, the redoubtable Maria Theresia was crowned Archduchess of Austria and queen of Hungary but, being a woman, could not be given the imperial crown. Therefore, after much debate and a war fomented by Frederick the Great of Prussia, her husband Francis of Lorraine was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1745. Maria Theresia issued quintuple ducats along with quarter, half, single, double, triple, quadruple, six and ten ducat gold pieces. All the denominations larger than double ducats are very rare. The SCWC does not mention this date.

''Reported Mintage:'' unknown.

''Specification:'' 17.5 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 17.35 g. 

''Catalog reference:'' Eypeltauer 57; Fr-402, KM 1680 (unlisted date).

''[[Bibliography|Source:]]''
* Michael, Thomas, ''Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed.,'' Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016. 
* Craig, William D., ''[[Germany|Germanic]] Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II,'' Mountain View, CA: 1954. 
* 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. 
* <sup>[2]</sup>Künker Münzauktionen und Goldhandel, ''Catalog 264, Gold coins | Russian Coins and Medals | German Coins after 1871,'' Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2015.

''Link to:''
* [[Austria 1749-WI ducat Fr-425|1749 ducat]]
* [[Bohemia 1754 1/2 thaler|1754 half thaler, Prague mint]]
* [[Austria 1754-PR thaler Dav-1159|1754 thaler, Prague mint]]
* [[Transylvania 1754 ducat Fr-543|1754 ducat, Karlsburg mint]]
* [[Austria 1754-PR ducat Fr-428]]
* [[Austria 1754 10 ducats Fr-400|1754 10 ducats, Maria Theresia]]
* [[Austria 1757-PR thaler Dav-1158|1757-PR thaler]]
* [[Austria 1780-G IB-IV ducat Fr-193|1780 ducat]]
* [[Coins and currency dated 1754]]
* return to coinage of [[Austria]]

[[Category:Gold ducats of Europe]][[Category:Selections from Kunker sale 263, 264]]