Heritage World Coin Auctions
March Signature Sale 3096 25-27 Mar 2021
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Bohemia
Ferdinand II gold 10 Ducat 1633-(p) MS65 NGC, Prague mint, KM319, Fr-38, Donebauer-Unl., Horsky-Unl. 34.62gm. Tobias Schuster von Goldberg as mintmaster. No superlative can do a coin justice when encountered in such a splendid degree of preservation. One would think this conditional state nearly impossible for a specimen of its era, and yet, one's mind must necessarily accept the truth that at first seems difficult to grasp--namely, that a gold coin of such scale and age could survive to the present in nothing less than extraordinary condition. A survey of population figures confirms a fact that seems nearly obvious at face: this offering is the finest certified, not only for its date, but also its type.
The piece's production during the turbulent period of the Thirty Years' War only makes its conditional survival that much more exceptional. As Ferdinand reasserted himself in Bohemia following the defeat of Protestant forces at the Battle of White Mountain in 1620, such a large gold production would have sent a clear message to any beholder: Ferdinand, and Austria, represented the unchallenged authority in Bohemia, and further, the Holy Roman Emperor possessed the wealth and power to back his position. Though events dragged on sufficiently long that Ferdinand's treasury would eventually be exhausted by ongoing conflict, sparking a financial reliance on Spain that would drag Austria down with her in the later stages of the struggle, the offering seen here is a monument to the aspirations of an Emperor who dreamt of re-establishing hegemony on the European continent and once and for all asserting Catholic dominance across his domains.
Close inspection of the specimen leaves nothing to be desired. The devices, crafted to impressive detail and sharply outlined, stand in stark relief against the fields below. A turn of the wrist ignites a full display of lustrous brilliance throughout the surfaces, these showing not a single instance of meaningful handling to deter the eye as it moves across features that are captivating in their clarity and preservation. It is difficult to imagine that a finer example exists, and whoever the ultimate winning bidder is, he or she will certainly be the proud owner of what can only be accurately summarized as a coin of truly epic proportions.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/bohemia/bohemia-ferdinand-ii-gold-10-ducat-1633-p-ms65-ngc-/a/3096-30133.s?type=CoinArchives3096
HID02906262019
© 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 150000-250000 USD
Ferdinand II gold 10 Ducat 1633-(p) MS65 NGC, Prague mint, KM319, Fr-38, Donebauer-Unl., Horsky-Unl. 34.62gm. Tobias Schuster von Goldberg as mintmaster. No superlative can do a coin justice when encountered in such a splendid degree of preservation. One would think this conditional state nearly impossible for a specimen of its era, and yet, one's mind must necessarily accept the truth that at first seems difficult to grasp--namely, that a gold coin of such scale and age could survive to the present in nothing less than extraordinary condition. A survey of population figures confirms a fact that seems nearly obvious at face: this offering is the finest certified, not only for its date, but also its type.
The piece's production during the turbulent period of the Thirty Years' War only makes its conditional survival that much more exceptional. As Ferdinand reasserted himself in Bohemia following the defeat of Protestant forces at the Battle of White Mountain in 1620, such a large gold production would have sent a clear message to any beholder: Ferdinand, and Austria, represented the unchallenged authority in Bohemia, and further, the Holy Roman Emperor possessed the wealth and power to back his position. Though events dragged on sufficiently long that Ferdinand's treasury would eventually be exhausted by ongoing conflict, sparking a financial reliance on Spain that would drag Austria down with her in the later stages of the struggle, the offering seen here is a monument to the aspirations of an Emperor who dreamt of re-establishing hegemony on the European continent and once and for all asserting Catholic dominance across his domains.
Close inspection of the specimen leaves nothing to be desired. The devices, crafted to impressive detail and sharply outlined, stand in stark relief against the fields below. A turn of the wrist ignites a full display of lustrous brilliance throughout the surfaces, these showing not a single instance of meaningful handling to deter the eye as it moves across features that are captivating in their clarity and preservation. It is difficult to imagine that a finer example exists, and whoever the ultimate winning bidder is, he or she will certainly be the proud owner of what can only be accurately summarized as a coin of truly epic proportions.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/bohemia/bohemia-ferdinand-ii-gold-10-ducat-1633-p-ms65-ngc-/a/3096-30133.s?type=CoinArchives3096
HID02906262019
© 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 150000-250000 USD