Catalog
10 Ducats - Aureus Magnus Elisabeth
| Issuer | Germany, Federal Republic of |
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| Year | 1958 |
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| Reference(s) | X#M48 |
| Obverse description | The obverse depicts a fleet of six Tudor sailing ships rendered in fine relief against a flat field, commemorating the naval power of Elizabethan England. In the lower central field, a large flagpole bears a Tudor royal standard quartered with the arms of England and France. A small merchant or herald's mark appears to the left of the fleet. The circumferential Latin legend reads ELIZABETH I. 1558 - 1603 IN MEM. REGNI ANGLIAE REGINAE, and the date 1958 is inscribed in the lower exergual area flanked by dotted borders. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The "Aureus Magnus" series was a privately commissioned bullion restrike program produced in West Germany during the late 1950s, intended for the collector and investor market rather than circulation. These large gold multiples drew on historical minting traditions but carried no legal tender status. The Elisabeth type references a medieval German issue, though the restrike relationship to any specific original die is tenuous at best.
The .980 fineness is notably high — above the .900 gold standard used for most contemporary European bullion coin issues of the period.