View source for Avignon 1639 quadrupla Fr-59

[[Image:K425-1128.jpg|550px|thumb|Künker Auction 425, lot 1128]]

This specimen was lot 1128 in Künker Auction 425 (Osnabrück, July 2025), where it sold for €3,800 (about US$5,381 including buyers' fees). The catalog description<sup>[1]</sup> noted, <blockquote>"''EUROPÄISCHE MÜNZEN UND MEDAILLEN · ITALIEN, KIRCHENSTAAT/VATIKAN Urban VIII., 1623-1644. Quadrupla 1639, Avignon. GOLD. RR Sehr schön.'' ([[Italy]], [[Vatican|Papal States]], Urban VIII, quadrupla of 1639, Avignon mint. Very rare, very fine.)
<p>''Papst Urban VIII. neigte im Dreißigjährigen Krieg aus Furcht vor der Übermacht des Hauses Habsburg, dessen Selbstbewußtsein durch die Erfolge Kaiser Ferdinands II. stark gestiegen war und die Unabhängigkeit des Kirchenstaats bedrohte, mehr Frankreich zu und unterstützte es gegen Österreich und Spanien. Hierdurch war er mitverantwortlich für den Ausgang des Krieges zum Nachteil der katholischen Kirche. Urban VIII. ließ außer in Avignon und Rom auch in Bologna und Ferrara prägen.'' (During the Thirty Years' War, Pope Urban VIII, fearing the superior power of the House of Habsburg, whose self-confidence had been greatly boosted by the successes of Emperor Ferdinand II and threatened the independence of the Papal States, leaned more toward France and supported it against Austria and Spain. As a result, he was partly responsible for the outcome of the war, which was to the detriment of the Catholic Church. Urban VIII minted coins in Bologna and Ferrara in addition to Avignon and Rome.)"</p></blockquote> A quadrupla was four gold scudi and was the largest gold coin struck by the baroque popes. Berman mentions other quadruplas for this pope (Berman-1782 thru -1786 (Avignon), Ber-1689 and -1690 (Rome), all rare) but no images of them have yet fallen into our hands.

''Recorded mintage'': unknown.

''Specification'': 13.44 g, 0.917 fine gold, this specimen 13,05 g.

''Catalog reference:'' [[On the coinage of the Papal States|Berman 1787]], KM 58 (listed under Avignon), Fr-59 (listed under France); Muntoni 205; Toffanin 1749/6. 

''[[Bibliography|Sources:]]'' 
* Berman, Allen G., ''Papal Coins,'' South Salem, NY: Attic Books, 1991.
* 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.
* Francesco Muntoni, ''Le Monete del Papi e Degli Stati Pontifici, 4 vols.'' Rome: P & P Santamaria, 1973.
* <sup>[1]</sup>Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, ''Katalog 425: Gold coins from the Medieval and Modern Times, from the Mohr family collection, e.g. | Silver coins, e.g. highlights of medallic art | German coins after 1871,'' Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2025.

''Links:''
* [[Papal States (1608) quadrupla Fr-100|(1608) quadrupla d'oro, Rome mint]]
* [[Avignon 1639 1/2 franc|1639 ''demi-franc'', Avignon mint]]
* [[Avignon 1641 quadrupla Fr-59|1641 quadrupla d'oro, Avignon mint]]
* [[Coins and currency dated 1639]]

[[Category:Selections from Kunker sale 423, 424, 425, 426]]