Gustav Adolf was killed at the Battle of Lützen on 6 November 1632 — a victory for the Swedish army that cost them their king. Nuremberg, a Protestant stronghold with strong Swedish ties throughout the Thirty Years' War, responded quickly with memorial issues. Multiple denominations were struck, this three-ducat piece among them, as the city had served as Gustav Adolf's operational base during his 1632 German campaign and the grief there was neither purely ceremonial nor politically disinterested.
The .986 fineness is consistent with Nuremberg's high-purity memorial gold of the period, struck for presentation and collection rather than circulation.
Gustav Adolf was killed at the Battle of Lützen on 6 November 1632 — a victory for the Swedish army that cost them their king. Nuremberg, a Protestant stronghold with strong Swedish ties throughout the Thirty Years' War, responded quickly with memorial issues. Multiple denominations were struck, this three-ducat piece among them, as the city had served as Gustav Adolf's operational base during his 1632 German campaign and the grief there was neither purely ceremonial nor politically disinterested.
The .986 fineness is consistent with Nuremberg's high-purity memorial gold of the period, struck for presentation and collection rather than circulation.