Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
4 Ducats Coronation of Ferdinand I
| Issuer | Aachen, Free imperial city of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1531 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Conjoined laureate and crowned busts of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (foreground) and his brother Ferdinand I (background) facing right in profile, both wearing elaborate imperial crowns adorned with crosses and beaded arches, their draped shoulders visible in the lower field. The effigies are rendered in high relief in the Renaissance style, with naturalistic facial features including beards, set within a plain field bordered by a beaded or rope inner circle. No legend appears on the obverse, the entire face being devoted to the double portrait. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Latin |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Ferdinand I was crowned King of Germany at Aachen on January 5, 1531 — the last coronation of a German king held in that city before the practice shifted definitively to Frankfurt. The choice of Aachen was itself a political statement, invoking the Carolingian tradition that gave the city its unique coronation rights, though Charles V had spent years resisting the election that finally legitimized his brother's position as heir-designate.
The "var." designation against Menadier #1 suggests a die difference not fully catalogued in the standard reference — collectors should examine the arrangement of the city arms carefully against documented specimens.