5 Ducats - Frederick William

Frederick William — the "Great Elector" — came to power in 1640 inheriting a Brandenburg devastated by thirty years of war, its treasury stripped and its population reduced by roughly half in some territories. By 1650, the Peace of Westphalia had only just been signed, and this multiple-ducat issue almost certainly served diplomatic or gift-giving purposes rather than ordinary exchange; five-ducat pieces at this weight were presentation currency by any practical measure.

KM#238 is a scarce type. Survivors in any condition are infrequently encountered at auction.