Denmark 1659 5 ducats Fr-124

Heritage sale 3096, lot 30152

This specimen was lot 30152 in Heritage auction 3096 (Dallas, TX, March 2021), where it sold for $66,000. The catalog description^[1] noted,

"An Incredibly Historic Relic from the Breaking of the Swedish Siege of Copenhagen. Denmark - Frederick III gold "Ebenezer" 5 Ducat (1/2 Portugalöser) 1659 AU Details (Reverse Scratched) NGC, Copenhagen mint. Arguably among the most famous designs of the whole Danish series, and one which takes on an entirely new level of rarity when procured in gold. Struck in commemoration of the breaking of the Swedish Siege of Copenhagen on 11 February 1659, the motifs employed on this type could hardly make more evident the Danes' belief (or at least their wish to proclaim publicly) that their salvation had come from the hand of God (Manus dei) alone--Soli Deo Gloria, "To God, alone, be the glory"--rather than from the aid of the Dutch relief force. The forcefulness of this message is all the more obvious through the iconic inscription on the reverse: Ebenezer, juxtaposing Frederick III's monogram with a stone, and drawing on the imagery of the Old Testament, where (in 1 Samuel 7:12), Samuel had erected a "stone of help" between Mizpah and Shen to commemorate the Lord's aid and to serve as a reminder to the nation of Israel that God had protected and led them to victory.

Already a challenging issue in silver, where finding examples free of even mild circulation is a far-cry (only 2 Mint State Krones presently certified), we are aware of only one gold specimen in this weight having appeared on auction in recent years, a battered and bent piece that still brought the equivalent of $35,000 in November 2020. The type is altogether missing from the Vogel, Wilmersdörffer, Hauberg, and Hede collections, and while the Zinck Collection contained a representative, it was never brought to auction. Aagaard records only 9 total examples of this 5 Ducat subtype (Hede-98) known, which, together with the 2 known of Hede-100, comprises eleven 1659 5 Ducats, of which two are in public collections and two in the "semi-public" collection of L. E. Bruun (see also Hede's October 1925 sale of Bruun's collection, lot 2495). It should then come as no exaggeration to say that locating such a selection, even with the noted scratches on the obverse (reverse as holdered) represents a typically unfound opportunity, with the strike and presentation otherwise indicating an emission that is very much on the upper end of its almost uncirculated status.

Though the Swedish king, Carl X Gustav, had achieved a crushing victory against the Danes during his February 1658 invasion of the kingdom as part of the Northern Wars, leading to the Treaty of Roskilde that gave Sweden huge territorial gains, he nonetheless resolved to wipe his rival from the map of Europe. In the ensuing attack, the Swedish armies, which had never left Denmark after the peace treaty was concluded, laid siege to Copenhagen. After withstanding the siege for 6 months, the Danes were able to make use of the Swedes' impatience, aided by spy intel and the help of 600 Dutch marines, and ambushed the Swedish army during their hastily planned assault of Christianhavn and Slotsholmen, resulting in a crushing Swedish defeat that led to long-term peace between Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. From the Paramount Collection."

Friedberg also mentions a double portugaloser (20 ducats, Fr-122), a single portugaloser (10 ducats, Fr-123), six ducats (Fr-125), four ducats ( Fr-126) and three ducats (Fr-127) for 1659. All are rare and Fr-122 is unique.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 17.5 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 17.19 g.

Catalog reference: KM-Unl., Fr-124 (Rare), Schou-4, Hede-98, Sieg-Unl., Aagaard-74.1.

Source:

• 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.
• Siegs Møntcatalog 2016: Danmark med Omrader, 48 ed., Frederikssund, Siegs Forlag ApS, 2015.
• ^[1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano and Warren Tucker, Heritage World and Ancient Coins Auction 3096, featuring the Paramount Collection of World & Ancient Coins, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2021.

Link to:

• Denmark 1659 krone Dav-3574, shield reverse
• Denmark 1659 krone Dav-3578, "DOMINVS PROVIDEBIT"
• Denmark 1659 krone Dav-3576 "*IIII*MARCK*DANSKE*"
• 1659 half ducat
• 1659 "Ebenezer" triple ducat
• 1659 "Ebenezer" 4 ducats
• 1659 "Ebenezer" 10 ducats (portugaloser)
• 1660-IS krone
• Coins and currency dated 1659