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March Signature Sale 3096 25-27 Mar 2021
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German States
Silesia-Liegnitz-Brieg. Georg III von Brieg gold Medal of 10 Ducats 1656-IB AU Details (Plugged) NGC, Fr-Unl., Saurma-Jeltsch-351 (not illustrated), F&S-1830, Wiecek-6, Kalinowski-21 (this piece). 48mm. 34.27gm. By J. Buchheim. Struck upon Georg's nomination as Provincial Governor of Brieg. A remarkable and truly singular type, not only for its supreme rarity and scant auction appearances outside of Germany, but also for its unique imagery--no other coins of Liegnitz-Brieg feature the Duke mounted on horseback or a city view scene. Virtually unlocatable without some evidence of mounting, likely owing to its intentional use for presentation. This is one of only three examples to have been auctioned in recent years, and it is quite likely the nicest of those three, this particular coin serving as the plate specimen in Kalinowski's Pieni ą dz miasta Brzeg. We would also note that the Deutsches Münzpreis-Jahrbuch records no additional sales records.
After the death of their uncle, Georg Rudolf, in 1653, Georg III and his brothers inherited the territories of Liegnitz (Legnica) and Wohlau (Wo ł ow). The following year, in 1654, they resolved to formally divide their domains, with Georg retaining Brieg (Brzeg), Louis IV taking Liegnitz, and Christian the small towns of Wo ł ow and O ł awa. As two of the last autonomous duchies in Silesia, Brieg and Liegnitz represented the last relics of the peculiar political order that had dominated in the region since the death of Habsburg Emperor Albert II in 1439, during whose reign the post of Provincial Governor or Bailiff (Landeshauptmann, Starost) had been established. Within the territories of modern-day Poland, the 1650s represented an era of considerable uncertainty, as Swedish Occupation threatened much of the region, culminating in the Treaty of Königsberg in January 1656, which forced elector Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg-Prussia to become a Swedish vassal. It is likely in this context that Georg had this medallic issue struck, perhaps to reassert his independence and rightful authority over the Duchy of Brieg in the face of mounting political unrest.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/german-states/silesia-liegnitz-brieg/german-states-silesia-liegnitz-brieg-georg-iii-von-brieg-gold-medal-of-10-ducats-1656-ib-au-details-plugged-ngc-/a/3096-30288.s?type=CoinArchives3096
HID02906262019
© 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 7000-9000 USD
Silesia-Liegnitz-Brieg. Georg III von Brieg gold Medal of 10 Ducats 1656-IB AU Details (Plugged) NGC, Fr-Unl., Saurma-Jeltsch-351 (not illustrated), F&S-1830, Wiecek-6, Kalinowski-21 (this piece). 48mm. 34.27gm. By J. Buchheim. Struck upon Georg's nomination as Provincial Governor of Brieg. A remarkable and truly singular type, not only for its supreme rarity and scant auction appearances outside of Germany, but also for its unique imagery--no other coins of Liegnitz-Brieg feature the Duke mounted on horseback or a city view scene. Virtually unlocatable without some evidence of mounting, likely owing to its intentional use for presentation. This is one of only three examples to have been auctioned in recent years, and it is quite likely the nicest of those three, this particular coin serving as the plate specimen in Kalinowski's Pieni ą dz miasta Brzeg. We would also note that the Deutsches Münzpreis-Jahrbuch records no additional sales records.
After the death of their uncle, Georg Rudolf, in 1653, Georg III and his brothers inherited the territories of Liegnitz (Legnica) and Wohlau (Wo ł ow). The following year, in 1654, they resolved to formally divide their domains, with Georg retaining Brieg (Brzeg), Louis IV taking Liegnitz, and Christian the small towns of Wo ł ow and O ł awa. As two of the last autonomous duchies in Silesia, Brieg and Liegnitz represented the last relics of the peculiar political order that had dominated in the region since the death of Habsburg Emperor Albert II in 1439, during whose reign the post of Provincial Governor or Bailiff (Landeshauptmann, Starost) had been established. Within the territories of modern-day Poland, the 1650s represented an era of considerable uncertainty, as Swedish Occupation threatened much of the region, culminating in the Treaty of Königsberg in January 1656, which forced elector Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg-Prussia to become a Swedish vassal. It is likely in this context that Georg had this medallic issue struck, perhaps to reassert his independence and rightful authority over the Duchy of Brieg in the face of mounting political unrest.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/german-states/silesia-liegnitz-brieg/german-states-silesia-liegnitz-brieg-georg-iii-von-brieg-gold-medal-of-10-ducats-1656-ib-au-details-plugged-ngc-/a/3096-30288.s?type=CoinArchives3096
HID02906262019
© 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 7000-9000 USD