Czechoslovakia 1938 5 dukatu

Stack's Bowers 2022 ANA sale, lot 30036

This specimen was lot 30036 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2022), where it sold for $204,000. The catalog description^[1] noted,

"CZECHOSLOVAKIA. 5 Ducats, 1938. Kremnica Mint. NGC MS-66. Of all the circulation quality European coins produced in the 20th Century, the 1938 Czechoslovakian 10 and 5 Ducats issues stand alone at the top of heap, nearly unsurpassed in demand and intrigue. Softly lustrous and highly attractive, this example demonstrates a robust strike quality and very few visible perturbations on the surfaces. Extensive die working was undertaken, as evidenced by the die polishing lines that run throughout the fields. As beautiful as it is RARE, we have high expectations for this piece as reflected in the estimate. A modern ULTRA RARTY, and a coin that is essentially without rival.

Much like the 1938 10 Ducats, the extremely limited mintage of the 5 Ducats was split, with 44 reserved for the state of Slovakia and 12 sold to private collectors. Given the unfurling political situation in 1938, and the subsequent occupation of Czechoslovakia these mintage figures are not reliable guides to the general survival rate of these pieces. Only 4 examples have been certified by either PCGS or NGC, seemingly confirming a low survival rate of the already low mintage. From the Augustana Collection."

This type was struck 1929-38 and 1951 along with a dukat, 2 dukaty and ten dukatu. This type is rarely seen circulated, suggesting the hoarding of what few examples escaped government vaults. The obverse portrait is of "good" king Wenceslas, he of the well-known Christmas carol.

Recorded mintage: 56.

Specification: 17.45 g, 0.986 fine gold.

Catalog reference: Fr-5; KM-13; Novotny-18 (RRRR).

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.
• Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
• ^[1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The 2022 ANA Auction - Ancients & World Coins - Featuring The Salton Collection Part III, the Augustana Collection and the Robert C. Knepper Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.

Link to:

• 1936 5 dukatu
• 1938 dukat
• 1938 10 dukatu
• Coins and currency dated 1938