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10 Ducats - Ákos Barcsai
| Issuer | Principality of Transylvania |
|---|---|
| Year | 1659-1660 |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Half-length armored effigy of Prince Ákos Barcsai facing slightly right, wearing elaborately decorated plate armor with a chain or sash across the chest, and a fur-trimmed cloak over the shoulders; the prince sports a beard and mustache. A decorative floral or foliate ornament appears at the base of the bust. The surrounding Latin legend reads ACHA BAR D G PR TR, divided by the figure, with an outer border of beading encircling the entire design. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | PA• REG• HVN• DO• ET• SI• CO: 1• 6• 59 |
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| Additional information |
Ákos Barcsai ruled Transylvania for barely eighteen months, a puppet prince installed by the Ottomans after György Rákóczi II's catastrophic and unauthorized invasion of Poland in 1657 — a campaign that ended in military disaster and left Transylvania exposed to punishing Ottoman reprisals. Barcsai's authority was contested from the start; Rákóczi refused to yield, and the two claimants fought openly until Rákóczi's death at the Battle of Gilău in 1660.
Large gold multiples of this kind were diplomatic and prestige objects, not circulation coinage. Barcsai's reign was too short and too unstable to sustain a conventional mint program.