1 Ducat - William Frederick

William Frederick ruled Brandenburg-Ansbach from 1703 until his death in 1723, a period dominated by the aftershocks of the War of the Spanish Succession and the realignment of German princely finances that followed. Ansbach's mint was active but inconsistent during his reign, and gold ducats from this period were struck primarily for presentation and diplomatic purposes rather than everyday exchange — the margraviate's economy ran largely on silver and copper.

The .986 fineness conforms to the long-established Dutch ducat standard, which German princes adopted not out of deference to the Netherlands but because it made the coins immediately acceptable across trade networks that ran from the Baltic to the Adriatic.