By Bruce Walker and Chris Chatigny – Stacks Bowers Numismatists & Catalogers ….
The world and ancient coin section of our Stack’s Bowers Galleries official auction of the ANA World’s Fair of Money is now online. The over 1,500 world and ancient coins to be offered will appeal to a variety of collectors. You can view the lots at the Stacks Bowers website or download PDF’s of the catalogs. In the coming weeks before the live bidding begins CoinWeek will be previewing some of the major highlights.
Today we feature a wonderful 2 Frederick d’Or from the German state of Prussia. Struck during a particularly dark year for Prussia, as Napoleon crushed the Prussian army at the Battle of Jena–Auerstedt in October, 1806. As a result, Frederick William III was forced to seek refuge in East Prussia at the Baltic coast (modern-day Lithuania) while also seeking assistance from Tsar Alexander I of Russia.
In addition to losing most of their Polish territories, the Prussians were forced to pay indemnities to help pay for the French troops occupying their own country. And yet, in spite of the calamity occurring in nearly every corner of the state, this breathtaking coin somehow fell from the mint presses in Berlin that year.
A stately portrait of Frederick graces the obverse, with his regnal titles around. On the reverse a crowned Imperial eagle stands guard over a group of trophies. The pile of spoils includes a shield, Fasces, sword, royal scepter and globus cruciger. Below the scene the date is shown in big bold numerals with the A mintmark (for Berlin) just below.
This piece bears the distinction of being the finest certified example, and for good reason. The strike is crisp; the surfaces display lovely frosty luster and nearly prooflike surfaces. This truly exceptional specimen is certain to draw an eager crowd of bidders when it crosses the auctioneer’s podium.
Look for this and other world numismatic rarities in Stacks Bowers upcoming August ANA World’s Fair of Money Auction.
For details please refer to the Events Calendar link at www.StacksBowers.com. To schedule an appointment, please call 800.458.4646. Though our Stack’s Bowers Galleries August ANA World’s Fair of Money Auction is no longer open for consignments, we are now accepting consignments of world and ancient coins for our November Baltimore Auction and the January New York International Auction, as well as Asian coins and currency for our December 2015 Hong Kong Showcase Auction.
