Zurich (1560) 1/2 goldkrone Fr-430

Sincona sale 35, lot 5459

This specimen was lot 5459 in Sincona sale 35 (Zürich, October 2016), where it sold for 3,200 CHF (about US$3,799 including buyer's fees). The catalog description^[1] noted,

"Zurich | Stadt, Halbe Goldkrone o. J. (um 1560). Doppeladler mit dem Zürcher Wappenschild auf der Brust. Oben keine Krone. Rv. Lilienkreuz mit Verzierungen in den Winkeln. Umschrift: DOMINE SEIVA....". Sehr selten. Fast vorzüglich. Kleine Kratzer. (city of Zürich, undated half gold crown, circa 1560. Obverse: double headed eagle supports the city arms, small crown above. Reverse: floriate cross with fleur-de-lys in the fields. Very rare, About extremely fine, Minor scratches.)"

Altho the Swiss cantons had won de facto independence from the Empire by the late fifteenth century, the fact was not officially recognized until 1648, when the confederation left the empire by the treaties of Westphalia which ended the Thirty Years War. This rare type is mentioned in Friedberg but the weight standard is not given therein, so we don't know how this enigmatic coin stood in relation to the conventional half ducat of 1.75 g nominal weight.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 1.69 g, gold, this specimen 1.53 g.

Catalog reference: Hürlimann 274, HMZ 2-1120b, Fr-430.

Source:

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.
Richter, Jürg, and Ruedi Kunzmann, Neuer HMZ-Katalog, Band 2: Die Münzen der Schweiz und Liechtensteins 15//16. Jahrhundert bis Gegenwart, Regenstauf, Germany: H. Gietl Verlag GmbH, 2006.
^[1]Jürg Richter, Schweizer Münzen und Medaillen vom Mittelalter bis in die Neuzeit, Auktion 35, Zürich: Sincona AG, 2016.

Link to:

Zurich (1560) 1/2 goldkrone Fr-430

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