2 Ducats - John Ernest VIII

John Ernest VIII ruled Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld for less than a decade before dying in 1729, but this 1698 issue dates to the very opening years of the duchy's existence — Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld having been constituted only in 1680 following the partition of Saxe-Gotha among the seven sons of Ernest the Pious. Multi-ducat gold from these small Ernestine courts was minted in genuinely small quantities, functioning more as diplomatic gifts and presentation pieces than as trade currency. The Franconian mint infrastructure these rulers relied upon was shared and often overextended.