| Description |
Saxe-Altenburg. Duke Friedrich Wilhelm III gold 10 Ducats 1672, KM-unlisted, Fr-2913, AU58 NGC. This example is well defined, considering the multiple die strikes, with a slightly irregular flan and traces of original luster remaining. Struck with the Double Taler dies as Davenport 7408. The obverse shows a bust of the young Duke facing right, while the reverse has a twelve-line inscription within a beaded circle. This is an exceedingly rare issue, with no listing in Krause and no picture in Friedberg, where it lists the value merely as Very Rare. Davenport pictures the Double Taler, which is identical in type to this piece. We can find no other record of sale of this type, and we doubt that more than one or two others exist. Friedrich Wilhelm III, the second son of Friedrich Wilhelm II, became heir to the duchy of Saxe-Altenburg on the passing of his older brother Christian in 1663. His father died in 1669, making him duke at the age of twelve. Friedrich's uncles, Johann Georg II of Saxony, and Duke Maurice of Saxe-Zeitz became his guardians, and regents of the duchy. Three years later, Friedrich died of smallpox, and the Saxe-Altenburg line ended. The duchy was subsequently split between his relatives.
Realized $105,750.00. Description courtesy of Heritage Auctions. |
