18 Ducat - John George I

The 18-ducat denomination was a showpiece, not a currency. Saxon electors commissioned these heavy gold multiples primarily as diplomatic gifts and court presentation pieces — they circulated among princes, not pockets. John George I was a notably cautious player during the opening years of the Thirty Years' War, initially resisting involvement before eventually siding with the Protestant Union at a moment of considerable political risk.

Fr#2688A is among the rarer Fremersdorf listings for this elector, with surviving examples thin enough that auction appearances generate significant specialist attention. The 1627 date falls just after the war's catastrophic spread into Lower Saxony.