Danzig 1550 ducat Fr-2

Stack's Bowers 2023 NYINC sale, lot 24003

Elbing, Danzig and Thorn in the sixteenth century

This specimen was lot 24003 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2023), where it sold for $63,000. The catalog description^[1] noted, "Lustrous Near-Choice Sigismund II Augustus Ducat, POLAND. Danzig. Ducat, 1550. Danzig Mint. Sigismund II Augustus. NGC MS-62. Obverse: Crowned bust of Sigismund II Augustus right; Reverse: Arms of Danzig. Emanating from the first ruler of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, this Ducat offers exciting condition that is seldom seen. The strike is rather full, with strong details, and a slight doubling effect seen at about 9 o'clock on the obverse. Escaping essentially all evidence of fault or issue, this Ducat stands as a tremendous representative of Augustus' Danzig gold coinage. From the Anthony J. Taraszka Collection. Ex: UBS 49 (09/2000) Lot #2331." Friedberg lists this type for 1549-58 but all dates are rare.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 3.5 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 3.54 g.

Catalog reference: Fr-2; H-Cz-Unlisted; Kop-7373 (R7); Kur-968 (R6); Gum-734.

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.
• ^[1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The January 2023 NYINC Auction: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Taraszka Collection and the Mark and Dottie Salton Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.

Link to:

• 1548 ducat, Sigismund I
• 1551 ducat, Sigismund II Augustus
• Coins and currency dated 1550