Saxe-Gotha, Off-Metal Strike Ducat 1732

Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Frederick II, 1691-1732, Off-Metal Strike of a Ducat 1732

On the occasion of his death

Obv.: Bust r.

Rev.: 11 lines of text beneath arched line

Historical

This extremely rare off-metal strike from the stamps of a ducat of 1732 illustrates the atmosphere in the mint of Gotha in those years: The die-cutter of the offered piece Johann Christian Koch had been officially appointed as a medalist to the court and thus had no formal relationship to the mint.

Nonetheless, he kept competing against the mintmaster and coin-maker Christian Wermuth, who had also been his teacher. So with this piece: In the form of a ducat and engraved with the image of the Duke and yet without the right weight and never planned as an official issue.
 

This rivalry fertilized the work of the two artists and made Gotha such a die cutter stronghold.