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4 Ducats - Charles Ferdinand Vasa
| Issuer | Oppeln-Ratibor, Duchy of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1653 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 4 Ducats (8) |
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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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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Quartered heraldic shield surmounted by a large princely crown, displaying the combined arms of the issuer: upper left bears the Silesian eagle, upper right the three Swedish crowns of the Vasa dynasty, lower left a mounted knight, and lower right a lion passant, with a central escutcheon bearing the Vasa sheaf. The shield is set within an inner beaded border, surrounded by the circumferential Latin legend citing the ruler's ecclesiastical and ducal titles, with the date 1653 divided across the field. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Charles Ferdinand Vasa, Bishop of Breslau and brother of the Polish king Władysław IV, held the Duchy of Oppeln-Ratibor as a pledge from the Habsburg crown — a political arrangement rooted in unpaid debts from the Thirty Years' War. He never ruled as a sovereign duke in the full sense; the territory was effectively pawned to the Polish Vasas in 1645. His death in 1655 returned the duchy to direct Habsburg control, making his coinage both brief in issue and narrow in type.
Friedberg 2921 is among the rarest multiples from this pledged administration.