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10 Ducats - Frederick William
| Issuer | Brandenburg-Prussia, State of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1657-1658 |
| Type | Commemorative circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Armored equestrian figure of the Elector Frederick William, shown in three-quarter view astride a rearing horse, brandishing a baton or sword aloft with his right hand, with a townscape visible in the lower field beneath the horse's hooves. The date appears in the exergue below. The surrounding legend in Latin reads PRO VIDENTIÆ HÆC DIVINÆ OBNOXIA, referring to the submission of earthly matters to divine providence. The composition is rendered in high relief in the bold Baroque style characteristic of mid-seventeenth-century German medallic art. |
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| Obverse lettering | PRO VIDENTIÆ HÆC DIVINÆ OBNOXIA |
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| Additional information |
Frederick William, the "Great Elector," issued this multiple-ducat piece during the closing phase of the Second Northern War, a conflict that ultimately handed him full sovereignty over ducal Prussia — previously held as a Polish fief. The timing was no accident. Large gold multiples of this kind functioned as diplomatic gifts and military payments, not pocket change, and their production coincided directly with the negotiations that culminated in the 1657 Treaty of Wehlau.
KM#296 is a rare survivor. Ten-ducat pieces from any German state in this period were struck in small numbers on broad flans using specially prepared dies, and attrition through melting was high.