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12 Ducats - John George II Conferment of the Order of the Garter
| Issuer | Dresden Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1678 |
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| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents a nine-line French dedicatory inscription in bold raised lettering occupying the entire central field, identifying Charles II by the Grace of God King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, with the date given in Roman numerals MDCLXXVIII at the foot. The inscription is framed by a wreath of laurel and oak branches tied with a ribbon at the base and joined at the apex, executed in high relief against a flat field. The composition is entirely epigraphic, with no figural elements, lending it a formal commemorative character appropriate to a presentation piece issued to honour the investiture of Elector John George II of Saxony into the Order of the Garter. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
John George II of Saxony received the Order of the Garter from Charles II of England in 1677, a diplomatic gesture cementing Protestant solidarity between the two courts following years of cautious maneuvering around French dominance in Europe. The Dresden Mint struck these massive 12-ducat pieces specifically to commemorate the investiture — not for circulation, but as presentation gifts distributed by the Elector himself.
Multiples of this weight were technically demanding even for skilled Saxon die-cutters, and the 1678 issue is one of the more ambitious strikes the Dresden Mint attempted in the later seventeenth century.