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1 Ducat - Louis I Rheingold-Dukat
| Issuer | Bavaria, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1830 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Ducat (2.25) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A detailed panoramic cityscape of Speyer (ancient Augusta Nemetum) viewed from the Rhine, with the cathedral and city towers prominently depicted in the middle ground. In the foreground, the Rhine river is shown with a sailing vessel at anchor to the right, evoking the Rhenish gold origin of the coin. The upper legend AUGUSTA NEMETUM arcs along the rim, while the lower exergue bears the inscription EX AURO RHENI (from Rhine gold) and the Roman numeral date MDCCCXXX. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The Rheingold-Dukat series was struck using gold allegedly panned from the Rhine River, a practice Bavaria promoted with considerable political theater during the early nineteenth century. Whether the bullion actually derived from Rhine alluvial deposits or was simply standard refined gold dressed up for prestige is a question numismatists have debated for generations — the distinction mattered symbolically to the Bavarian crown, if not metallurgically.
Louis I commissioned these pieces partly as diplomatic gifts and partly to cement his image as a culturally ambitious monarch. The 1830 issue falls within the first decade of his reign, before his later obsession with Hellenism consumed the royal treasury.