The 3½-ducat denomination is an oddity of Polish royal coinage — not a standard unit but a presentation piece struck to a specific gold weight, likely intended as a gift or diplomatic offering rather than commerce. Gdańsk held the right to strike its own coinage under royal privilege, and the mint exploited that latitude enthusiastically during Jan II Kazimierz's reign, producing multiples in gold that circulated more among treasuries and collections than pockets.
Fr#29 is a rare Friedberg number by any measure. 1650 places this squarely between the end of the Thirty Years' War and the catastrophic Swedish invasions that would begin in 1655 and briefly overrun Gdańsk's hinterland.
The 3½-ducat denomination is an oddity of Polish royal coinage — not a standard unit but a presentation piece struck to a specific gold weight, likely intended as a gift or diplomatic offering rather than commerce. Gdańsk held the right to strike its own coinage under royal privilege, and the mint exploited that latitude enthusiastically during Jan II Kazimierz's reign, producing multiples in gold that circulated more among treasuries and collections than pockets.
Fr#29 is a rare Friedberg number by any measure. 1650 places this squarely between the end of the Thirty Years' War and the catastrophic Swedish invasions that would begin in 1655 and briefly overrun Gdańsk's hinterland.