Saxe-Gotha 1650 1/2 ducat Fr-2949

Stack's Bowers 2023 NYINC sale, lot 25203

This specimen was lot 25203 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2023), where it sold for $2,040. The catalog description^[1] noted, "GERMANY. Saxe-Gotha. Gold Medallic 1/2 Ducat, "1650" (1672/3). Gotha Mint. Ernst I 'the Pious'. NGC MS-62. By J. C. Freund. Commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Peace of Westphalia, this RARE medallic issue features lines of scripture upon each side, with the reverse displaying a radiant tetragrammaton at the top. Sharply struck and exceedingly lustrous and vibrant. From the Augustana Collection." The duchy of Saxe-Gotha was created and lapsed more than once. This version was erected in 1640 and lasted until 1680, when it was partitioned among the seven surviving sons. We don't know why this piece was dated 1650 when the peace was signed in 1648 and commemorated in 1672-73. It accompanied a single ducat (Fr-2948).

Recorded mintage: unknown but rare.

Specification: 1.75 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 1.8 g.

Catalog reference: Fr-2949; KM-10; Pax in Nummis-Unlisted.

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.
• ^[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:

• 1650 double thaler, peace of Westphalia
• 1650 ducat, peace of Westphalia
• Coins and currency dated 1650