A beautifully preserved piece. Sharp, uncirculated, with only a slight faint central minting. With a beautiful and rarely seen on Toronto ducats, clear mint mirror. Of beauty confirmed by the only and highest NGC note.
A typologically rare variation of the king's portrait: in armor decorated with a lion's head on his shoulder (mascaron). This type of royal depiction is known only from the 1637 and 1638 vintages, and is rarely found in the trade. Of the 12 Torun ducat listings of this vintage that we reached, this type occurred only 4 times (including this one). Probably there was only one such obverse stamp and it wore out in 1638, where out of 14 pieces of this vintage, only 2 were with a royal epaulet decorated with a lion's head.
The mint in Torun, since its reopening at the end of the reign of Sigismund III Vasa, has not stopped its activities. It minted coins both during the interregnum and from the very beginning of Wladyslaw's reign. Already in the year of his coronation issuing the first thalers and ducats, in compliance with the ban on minting small coinage. From the first ducats putting the initials I-I, the new head of the mint, Jacob Jacobsen, until his death in 1639.
Excellent item. One of the ornaments of our anniversary auction.
First time in our offer.
Provenance: 1.Stack's 2007.01.15 item #3172 with a high bid amount of $8,500 for the prices of the time. 2. George Gund III Collection. 3. Sawicki 1980, item #188 with also a high bid of $1,450 against other auctioned items.
Obverse: royal bust wearing a crown, with the Order of the Golden Fleece on his chest, wearing masquerade decorated armor. In the rim:
VLAD IIII D G REX POL ET SVE M D L R P.
Reverse: Angel above an oval city shield in a cartouche, with initials I-I on the sides. In the rim:
COIN AVR CIVIT THORVNENSIS 1637
