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1 Pistole - Adolphus Frederick IV
| Issuer | Mecklenburg-Strelitz |
|---|---|
| Year | 1754 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 6.67 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | ADOLPHVS FRID · IV · D · G · DVX MEGAP · |
| Reverse description | The elaborate quartered coat of arms of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, surmounted by a royal crown, occupies the full central field. The shield is supported by ornate Baroque mantle drapery and displays multiple heraldic charges including the Mecklenburg bull's head, the Strelitz griffin, and additional dynastic quarterings, all rendered with fine engraving detail. The mint-master's initials H·C·B· are placed in the lower field flanking the base of the arms. The date 1754 is inscribed in the upper field, divided on either side of the crown, with no additional surrounding legend. The milled border echoes that of the obverse. |
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| Additional information |
Adolphus Frederick IV ruled Mecklenburg-Strelitz for just over two decades, but his duchy's gold coinage was struck in tiny quantities — the territory's finances were perpetually strained, and pistole-denomination pieces were minted more as prestige objects than circulating currency. The 1754 date places this squarely in the period when the smaller German states were minting gold partly to assert their standing ahead of the Seven Years' War, which would shortly devastate much of the region's economy.
Kunkel catalogues only a handful of die marriages for this type, and surviving examples are genuinely scarce at auction.