Brunswick-Blankenburg (1721) 1/4 ducat Fr-687

Künker sale 352, lot 1854

Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in 1914, with Blankenburg to the south

This specimen was lot 1854 in Künker sale 352 (Osnabrück, Germany, September 2021), where it sold for €1,000 (about US$1,392 including buyer's fees). The catalog description^[1] noted,

"BRAUNSCHWEIG UND LÜNEBURG, BRAUNSCHWEIG-WOLFENBUTTEL, Ludwig Rudolf, 1731-1735, seit 1714 in Blankenburg. 1/4 Dukat o. J. ohne Münzzeichen. GOLD. RR Winz. Kratzer, vorzüglich. (Germany, duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, Louis Rudolf, 1731-35, duke in Blankenburg since 1714, undated quarter ducat. Rare, light scratches, extremely fine.)"

The duchy of Brunswick-Blankenburg was carved out of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel for Ludwig Rudolf in 1714. He ruled it and issued coins for it until the death of his brother in 1731, when he succeeded to Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel and merged the two states back together. The SCWC attributes this scarce type to 1721 along with another undated quarter ducat (KM 18) with a leaping stallion on the reverse.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 0.875 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 0.87 g.

Catalog reference: KM 17, Fr-687; Welter 2451.

Source:

• Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
• 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]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Künker Auktion 352: Die Sammlung Hermann Schwarz: Faszination des gepragten Goldes. Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2021.

Link to:

• 1716 thaler
• 1717 "wild man" ducat
• 1720 "wild man" half ducat
• 1721 "wild man" half ducat
• 1721-HCH ducat, leaping stallion reverse
• Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel 1722-HCH ducat Fr-694
• 1725 thaler
• Coins and currency dated 1721