Most expensive coin ever sold in Poland is auctioned for jaw-dropping PLN 3.24 million in just one minute
One minute was all that was needed for a coin from the 17th century to break the record for the most expensive coin ever sold in Poland.
Considered one of the rarest royal coins in the world, the legendary 50-ducat coin of Zygmunt III Vaza minted at the Crown Mint in Bydgoszcz went for a staggering PLN 3.24 million in the lightning-fast audition at the Raffles Hotel in Warsaw.
Something of a Holy Grail among coin collectors, the solid gold whopper is almost seven cm in diameter and weighs nearly 175 grams.
Measuring seven cm in diameter and weighing nearly 175 grams, the coin features a bust of King Zygmunt III Vaza wearing armour, on which there is a chain with the jewel of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
It also features the date 1621, the artist's initials and the inscription SIGISMVNDVS III D G POLONIAE ET SVECIAE REX, which means: Sigismund III by God's grace king of Poland and Sweden.
Auctioneer Michał Niemczyk said: "Viewing the coin under magnification, one can see details smaller than half a millimetre, which gives an idea of how labour-intensive it must have been to make the stamps themselves to strike the obverse and reverse.”
The coin features a bust of King Zygmunt III Vaza wearing armour, on which there is a chain with the jewel of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
The reverse features a Polish-Swedish shield decorated with rich ornaments.
It also features the date 1621, the artist's initials and the inscription SIGISMVNDVS III D G POLONIAE ET SVECIAE REX, which means: Sigismund III by God's grace king of Poland and Sweden.
Meanwhile, the reverse features a Polish-Swedish shield decorated with rich ornaments.
Auctioneer Michał Niemczyk said: "Viewing the coin under magnification, one can see details smaller than half a millimetre, which gives an idea of how labour-intensive it must have been to make the stamps themselves to strike the obverse and reverse.”
According to some, the coin was minted to commemorate the Polish victory over the Turks at Chocim, during which the eminent Grand Hetman of Lithuania Jan Karol Chodkiewicz died.
According to others the coin was made by Samuel Ammon, a prominent Gdańsk engraver and medalist of Swiss origin, in an attempt to delight King Sigismund who granted him an audience at the Royal Castle in Warsaw.
According to some, the coin was minted to commemorate the Polish victory over the Turks at Chocim, while others believe it a prominent Gdańsk engraver and medalist of Swiss origin in an attempt to delight King Sigismund who granted him an audience at the Royal Castle in Warsaw.
The sale makes the 50 ducat coin the most expensive coin sold in Poland.
However, the most expensive Polish coin is the 100 ducats of Zygmunt III Vaza, which sold for $2.16 million in 2018 in New York.
