The Peace of Westphalia, signed in Münster on October 24, 1648, ended the Thirty Years' War — a conflict that had killed roughly a third of the German-speaking population through combat, famine, and plague. Münster itself hosted the negotiations for years, its streets crowded with diplomats from across Europe. This five-ducat piece was struck to commemorate that signing, one of several denominations issued by the city to mark the occasion.
The PiN reference places it within the broader Pax Westphalica medal and coin series, many of which were produced as presentation pieces rather than circulation currency. Surviving examples in any condition are genuinely scarce; the gold issues especially so.
The Peace of Westphalia, signed in Münster on October 24, 1648, ended the Thirty Years' War — a conflict that had killed roughly a third of the German-speaking population through combat, famine, and plague. Münster itself hosted the negotiations for years, its streets crowded with diplomats from across Europe. This five-ducat piece was struck to commemorate that signing, one of several denominations issued by the city to mark the occasion.
The PiN reference places it within the broader Pax Westphalica medal and coin series, many of which were produced as presentation pieces rather than circulation currency. Surviving examples in any condition are genuinely scarce; the gold issues especially so.