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1 Ducat - George William

Issuer Brandenburg-Prussia, State of
Year 1632-1633
Type Standard circulation coin
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Reverse description Centrally placed ornate quartered coat of arms of Brandenburg-Prussia, surmounted by an electoral crown and supported by elaborate cartouche work. The quarters display the characteristic devices of the Hohenzollern territories, including the eagle of Brandenburg and the griffin of Pomerania, rendered in the decorative style of early Baroque German heraldry. The date 16-32 (or 16-33) is divided across the field flanking the shield. The circumferential Latin legend, separated from the central device by a beaded inner border, reads MONE NOVA AVREA DVCA PRVS.
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Reverse lettering MONE NOVA AVREA DVCA PRVS 16 32
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Additional information

George William's rule over Brandenburg-Prussia coincided with the Thirty Years' War at its most destructive phase, and his chronic indecision — playing both Swedish and Imperial sides — left the electorate financially and militarily exhausted. Gold ducats of this period were struck not for ordinary commerce but to pay diplomatic obligations and military contractors, currencies that armies actually accepted. The elector's treasury was so strained by 1632 that Swedish forces under Gustav Adolf effectively occupied Brandenburg, extracting contributions at will.

KM#A148 is among the scarcer Brandenburg ducats of the early 17th century, with surviving examples concentrated in a handful of European cabinet collections.

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