Polish gold coin 80 Durats
Courtesy of Stack’s Bowers Galleries
A unique Polish gold coin, believed to have been minted to commemorate the Polish victory over the Turkish army at Battle of Khotyn in 1621, will be offered as a highlight of Stack’s Bowers Galleries’ New York sale in January.
Known as a 80 Ducats coin, it has a presale estimate of between US$300,000 and US$600,000, but “has a decent chance to break seven figures,” says Brian Kendrella, president of Stack’s Bowers, a leading numismatics auction house.
“We think the 80 Ducats coin is unique,” he says. “We are not familiar with other examples. Some collectors may have one, but none has turned out in the past 100 years or so.”
The 80 Ducats is closely related to the famed 100 Ducats issue of the same year, with the same size and diameter, but a thinner planchet, Kendrella says.
There are about 10 to15 examples of 100 Ducats known to exist, two of which sold for US$1.4 million and US$2.1 million at auctions, he says.
The coin, minted at the Royal Mint in Bydgoszcz, features on the front a portrait of the Polish king at the time, Sigismund III, Ort Koronny, portrayed without a crown and with a shoulder plate adorned with a lion’s head. The reverse side depicts the crowned coat-of-arms of the Republic of Poland.
The rarity was last sold at a Stack’s Bowers auction in 1995 for US$52,250, according to Kendrella. He declined to disclose the identity of the buyer at the time and the current consignor.
The ancient Greek coin is believed to have been in the collections of J.P. Morgan.
Courtesy of Stack’s Bowers Galleries
The New York International Numismatic Convention, the largest and most prominent convention for ancient and non-U.S. coins sold in the U.S., will celebrate its 50th anniversary in January 2022. Previously held at Waldorf Astoria New York, this year’s convention will take place at The InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel from Jan. 13-16.
Stack’s Bowers Galleries will offer approximately 6,220 lots of world coins, ancient coins, and world paper money, with an estimated total between US$9.4 million and US$14.5 million.
Another highlight is an ancient Greek coin, believed to have been in the collections of J.P. Morgan, who gifted it to his granddaughter, Mable Morgan Satterley Ingalls.
The coin, minted circa 406-367 B.C. and signed by Kimon, an engraver who led the period of high artistry in ancient numismatics, is expected to sell for between US$100,000 and US$200,000.
These coins will be available for viewing, by appointments only, at Stack’s Bowers Galleries from Jan. 4-8 and at The InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel from Jan. 11-15.
