1/4 Ducat - Frederick William I

Frederick William I ascended the Prussian throne in 1713 and almost immediately dismantled the elaborate court culture his father Frederick I had built — slashing expenditures, disbanding the arts academy, and redirecting royal funds into military expansion. That a quarter ducat was struck at all in 1715 is somewhat at odds with his character; the "Soldier King" had little patience for ceremonial gold coinage and preferred his money spent on grenadiers.

The Fr#2336 designation places this among the rarest fractional gold issues of the early Hohenzollern kingdom, with surviving examples traced almost entirely to old European cabinet collections rather than circulation finds.