1 Ducat - Frederick IV Silver pattern strike

Frederick IV of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp was only seventeen when this piece was struck, two years before he would ally with Denmark's enemies in the Great Northern War and ultimately die at the Battle of Klissow in 1702. Pattern strikes in silver from ducats — nominally gold denominations — were a routine tool of German courts for presentation and diplomatic gift-giving, allowing the design to circulate among dignitaries without the bullion cost. Lange 435 documents this type specifically as a Probemünze, struck in very small numbers at Gottorp.