Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1 Ducat - Frederick William I
| Issuer | Prussia, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1725-1732 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Round |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A large crowned oval shield bearing the quartered coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia occupies the centre of the reverse, surmounted by an elaborate royal crown with ornamentation in fine detail. The shield displays the distinctive Hohenzollern and Prussian heraldic quarters, including the Brandenburgian eagle and other dynastic arms. The date is divided on either side of the crown, with the mint-master's initials E · G and mint mark N placed in the lower field flanking the shield. The entire composition is set within a plain field, framed by the finely milled border. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Milled |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Frederick William I loathed ceremonial expenditure and ran one of the most austerely managed treasuries in Europe, yet ducats were minted continuously throughout his reign — not for domestic commerce, but because gold ducats were the accepted currency of international trade and diplomatic payment, and Prussia could not conduct either without them. The irony of a king who famously wore a threadbare uniform producing coins in .986 fine gold was not lost on contemporaries.
The Frankfurt-standard ducat weight of 3.46g was a deliberate choice to ensure acceptance by Dutch and Hanseatic merchants without haggling over fineness.