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2 Ducats - Frederick William
| Issuer | Brandenburg-Prussia, State of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1641 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 2 Ducats |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Large quartered heraldic shield displaying the multiple arms of the Brandenburg-Hohenzollern territories, including the eagle of Brandenburg, the Prussian eagle, and the arms of the various duchies and lordships held by the elector. The shield is surmounted by an ornate crown and flanked by an elaborate wreath of flowering branches mirroring the obverse border. The engraver's initials LM appear below the shield. The lengthy Latin legend citing the elector's full titular style runs continuously around the periphery of the coin. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | DVX PRVSS: MAGD: IVL: CLI: MONT: POM: CASS: VAND: IN: BVR: N: R: |
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| Additional information |
Frederick William — the future "Great Elector" — had barely assumed rule of Brandenburg-Prussia in 1640 when this piece was struck, inheriting a territory ravaged by two decades of the Thirty Years' War. Much of Brandenburg had been occupied, looted, or depopulated; the Kurmark alone had lost roughly half its inhabitants. That a gold ducat issue was produced at all in 1641 reflects the political necessity of projecting ducal authority through coinage even as the underlying economy lay in ruins.
The .986 fineness follows the longstanding Rhenish ducat standard, ensuring acceptance in international trade circuits that domestic silver coinage could not reliably reach.