Utrecht 1778 1/2 ducaton
The specimen is one of a type issued for the province of Utrecht. Each province of the Netherlands issued its own coins; besides Utrecht, there are coins for Deventer, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Holland, Overyssel, West Friesland and Zeeland, not counting various local issues. The Netherlands were swallowed up in Napoleon's empire and after his fall, reconstituted as a kingdom. This specimen was lot 213 in Schulman sale 344 (Amsterdam, March 2014), where it sold for € 450 (about US$737 including buyer's fees). The catalog description noted,
"½ Dukaton of ½ zilveren rijder. 1775. Type II. Ruiter naar rechts boven gekroond provinciewapentje en titel …BELG: PRO: TRAI•Kz. jaartal onder het wapen in cartouche. Met bloemrand. R. Mooi kleurige patina. Prachtig +. (half ducaton or half silver rider of 1775, type II. Mounted knight to right over crowned provincial arms; reverse: date in cartouche under arms of the Generality, with flowered edge. Rare, nice patina, choice extremely fine.)"
The SCWC notes a half ducaton with a reeded edge for 1761-94 (KM 115.1) and a flowered edge for 1761-76 (KM 115.2). Not having the specimen in hand, we don't know edge it may actually have.
Recorded mintage: 705.
Specification: 32.78 g, 0.941 fine silver, .991 troy oz ASW, obliquely reeded edge.
Catalog reference: Delm. 1055; V. 100.4, KM 115.2.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- van der Wis, Jan, and Tom Passon, Catalogus van de Nederlandse Munten geslagen sind bet aantreden van Philips II tot aan het einde van de Bataafse Republiek (1555-1806), 2nd ed., Apeldoorn, Netherlands: Omni-Trading b.v., 2009.
- [1]Abstil, Eddy, Andrew Abstil and Evert Philippeau, Veiling 344, Amsterdam: Schulman B.V., 2014.
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