9 Ducats - Charles II

The Duchy of Münsterberg-Oels was a Silesian Piast holding that passed to the Habsburg-aligned dukes of Podiebrad in the sixteenth century, and by 1612 sat firmly within the orbit of Habsburg Bohemia. Charles II ruled a minor but wealthy duchy, and large multiple-ducat strikes of this kind were almost never intended for trade — they functioned as presentation pieces, diplomatic gifts, or treasury reserves, struck in tiny numbers to demonstrate ducal ambition rather than fiscal need.

Fr#3240 is among the rarest entries in Friedberg's gold census for Silesian issues.