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2 Ducats - William Ernest Bicentenary of the Reformation
| Issuer | Saxe-Weimar, Duchy of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1717 |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Central device depicting an open Bible with a lit candle standing upright upon it, emitting rays of light in all directions, symbolizing the illuminating power of the Word of God. Three figures, rendered as putti or allegorical personages, are shown attempting to extinguish the candle with bellows, while flames persist undimmed. Below the central composition, the mint monogram VEV appears within a cartouche. The bilingual legend surrounding the design occupies the full circumference: the upper portion in German and the lower in Latin, referencing the inextinguishable light of the Word. |
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| Obverse lettering | SIE DÆMPFEN NICHT DES WORTES LICHT / ADEO ACCENSVM QVIS SUPERABIT VEV |
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Struck to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Luther's posting of the Ninety-Five Theses, this issue belongs to a wave of Reformation centennial and bicentennial medals and coins produced across Lutheran German states in 1717. Duke William Ernest of Saxe-Weimar was among the more ardent Lutheran princes of his generation, and the duchy's participation in this commemorative coinage was politically deliberate — Weimar sat within the heartland of the reforming tradition, and the anniversary served domestic confessional purposes as much as dynastic ones.
The Fr#3031 reference places it firmly in the Friedberg gold series, though surviving examples appear infrequently at auction.