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Auction: 7030 - Ancient, English & Foreign Coins & Comm Medals
Lot: 405

Austria, Ferdinand III (1637-57), AV 15-Ducats, 51.969g., 1641 over 39, Graz, no mint-master´s mark, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, date below shoulder, Order of the Golden Fleece on breast, ferdinandvs iii d g rom imp sem av ger hvng bo rex, rev. crowned, oval, garnished arms within Collar of the Golden Fleece, archi avstriae dvx bvrgvndiae styriae etc., struck from the dies of a broad Double Taler (F.195; Her.p.486, 2; MzA.p.139), probably removed from a ring mount, lightly polished with slight surface marks in the fields, some weakness in the arms, otherwise good very fine / very fine, exceedingly rare Estimate £ 10,000-15,000 This denomination is especially rare. In the Rudolf Just collection (11.12.2001) there were eight examples of the 10 Ducats of Ferdinand III, but not one 15 Ducats. There is one specimen in the Wiener Munzkabinett (60. VII 2), and there was one specimen recorded in the Spottl collection (7.3). The issue of "prestige pieces" struck mainly for presentation at court originated principally in Austria and reached its peak under the reigns of Emperors Ferdinand II (1619-37) and Ferdinand III. For a full discussion of the origin of such pieces, see Showpieces: Medallic Coins in Early Modern Europe, B J Cook, The Medal, Spring 1995, pp.3-25

Sold for
£8,500