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March Signature Sale 3096 25-27 Mar 2021
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Transylvania
Achatius Barcsai gold Siege Klippe 10 Ducat 1660-CIBINIENSI AU58 NGC, Hermannstadt mint, KM342 (Rare), Fr-408, Resch-12, Husz-576. 34.43gm. Struck during the Siege of Hermannstadt upon an octagonal planchet with 1/2 taler dies. Exceedingly rare, and quite possibly unique in private hands, this being the sole specimen we have been able to locate, although Resch records a specimen in the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest (the same line drawing illustrated in the Standard Catalog). Aged to a brass-gold hue with soft honey-amber touches dispersed over the faces, minute charcoal accents gripping the raised features. Beyond the uncontestable rarity of the piece, what immediately strikes the viewer is an abundance of die rust within the confines of the central stamp, serving as an indication that the dies may have been employed in the piece's striking some time after their own production. Whatever the case, this offering represents a singular opportunity for our interested bidders, and whoever ends the day with this marvelous coin in their hands will possess a covetable relic of Transylvanian numismatics that by all reasonable observation may be counted as irreplaceable.
A vassal of the Turks who had taken control over most of Hungary, Achatius Barcsai had been elevated to the position of Prince by the Transylvanian Diet following the failed campaigns of George II Rakoczi in 1657. During the ensuing conflict resulting from Rakoczi's overtures to the Diet and the Turks' continued support of their candidate to the throne, Rakoczi's forces managed to besiege Barcsai in the city of Hermannstadt, a siege which lasted from December 1659 until May 1660, when the Turkish relief forces under Vizier Budai and Sidi Ahmed drew away the attention of his armies. Interestingly, Wormser notes that during the siege, Barcsai attempted to sue for peace and enter into negotiations with Rakoczi, though this effort was thoroughly overruled by the citizens of the city.
Ex. Adolph Hess-Bank Leu Goldprägungen Auction (October 1962, Lot 690)
https://coins.ha.com/itm/transylvania/transylvania-achatius-barcsai-gold-siege-klippe-10-ducat-1660-cibiniensi-au58-ngc-/a/3096-30493.s?type=CoinArchives3096
HID02906262019
© 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 60000-80000 USD
Achatius Barcsai gold Siege Klippe 10 Ducat 1660-CIBINIENSI AU58 NGC, Hermannstadt mint, KM342 (Rare), Fr-408, Resch-12, Husz-576. 34.43gm. Struck during the Siege of Hermannstadt upon an octagonal planchet with 1/2 taler dies. Exceedingly rare, and quite possibly unique in private hands, this being the sole specimen we have been able to locate, although Resch records a specimen in the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest (the same line drawing illustrated in the Standard Catalog). Aged to a brass-gold hue with soft honey-amber touches dispersed over the faces, minute charcoal accents gripping the raised features. Beyond the uncontestable rarity of the piece, what immediately strikes the viewer is an abundance of die rust within the confines of the central stamp, serving as an indication that the dies may have been employed in the piece's striking some time after their own production. Whatever the case, this offering represents a singular opportunity for our interested bidders, and whoever ends the day with this marvelous coin in their hands will possess a covetable relic of Transylvanian numismatics that by all reasonable observation may be counted as irreplaceable.
A vassal of the Turks who had taken control over most of Hungary, Achatius Barcsai had been elevated to the position of Prince by the Transylvanian Diet following the failed campaigns of George II Rakoczi in 1657. During the ensuing conflict resulting from Rakoczi's overtures to the Diet and the Turks' continued support of their candidate to the throne, Rakoczi's forces managed to besiege Barcsai in the city of Hermannstadt, a siege which lasted from December 1659 until May 1660, when the Turkish relief forces under Vizier Budai and Sidi Ahmed drew away the attention of his armies. Interestingly, Wormser notes that during the siege, Barcsai attempted to sue for peace and enter into negotiations with Rakoczi, though this effort was thoroughly overruled by the citizens of the city.
Ex. Adolph Hess-Bank Leu Goldprägungen Auction (October 1962, Lot 690)
https://coins.ha.com/itm/transylvania/transylvania-achatius-barcsai-gold-siege-klippe-10-ducat-1660-cibiniensi-au58-ngc-/a/3096-30493.s?type=CoinArchives3096
HID02906262019
© 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 60000-80000 USD