Struck in the Bydgoszcz mint after the Commonwealth’s victory over the Ottoman army at Chocim, the seven‑centimeter piece weighs 350 grams—roughly the mass of a soft‑drink can—and is hailed by numismatists as a masterpiece of baroque medallic art.
“It was the world’s first gold coin of this weight and represents the peak of craftsmanship by the Gdańsk engraver Samuel Ammon,” said Damian Marciniak, head of a Warsaw auction firm who plans to bid.
“For coin collectors, it is what a Leonardo da Vinci canvas is for art lovers.”
Only 17 examples are known, two of them in Polish museums; experts say the Oslo specimen is the best‑preserved. Polish institutions are expected to watch the sale but have given no indication they will bid.
Eye‑watering price tag
The reserve price of 5.5 million zlotys (€1.3 million) dwarfs the tens of thousands of euros typically paid for 17th‑century Polish gold pieces.
Oslo Myntgalleri declined to speculate on a final hammer price but noted strong demand for trophy assets as investors look for inflation hedges.
Ornate design
Minted to celebrate the hard‑fought Polish‑Lithuanian victory at the Battle of Chocim (Khotyn) in 1621, the coin served as a potent piece of royal propaganda, flaunting the Commonwealth’s military might and its self‑appointed role as bulwark of Christendom against the Ottomans.
At 100 ducats—about 350 g and 70 mm across—it was the largest gold coin struck in Europe up to that time, its dies cut by Swiss‑born master Samuel Ammon.
Photo: Oslo Myntgalleri
The design’s lavish detail, from Sigismund III’s lace ruff to Latin mottoes praising divine favor, made it a showpiece gifted to foreign courts.
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Source: Onet, Oslo Myntgalleri