6 Ducats Accession

Nuremberg struck multi-ducat pieces for specific ceremonial occasions rather than general circulation, and this six-ducat issue marks the 1745 accession of Francis I as Holy Roman Emperor following the death of Charles VII — the only Wittelsbach emperor in three centuries, whose brief reign had humiliated Habsburg pretensions. The city, formally subordinate to the Emperor, had strong incentive to mark the Habsburg restoration with a conspicuous gold presentation piece.

Fr#1908 is among the scarcer Nuremberg gold multiples. The .986 fineness is characteristic of the city's ducat standard, which it maintained with unusual consistency into the late imperial period.