I found this coin in an antique market in Brussels, Belgium back around 1980 It is a Hessen Doppelgulden dated 1848. Hessen-Darmstadt, Ludwig III. 1848-1877. It lay in my collection for many years. Over the years, I was puzzled that I never saw this date offered for sale in any of the many auction catalogues I received. This in spite of a relatively mundane catalogue valuation. Back a few years ago, I approached a well known Auction House who informed me that the last recorded auction for this date was in 1895. They immediately made an offer to buy it, or to at least put it up for auction. I did not take up the offer. Interestingly, an example from this date did come up for sale a little later, in 2015, where it realised a very handsome price. The auctioneer explained that this date had never been offered for sale before, this being the first time ever (not quite correct). There are therefore 2 known/recorded examples of this date - the one sold in 2015, and this example. This could be explained by the fact that 1848 was a very momentous year in Hessen, Frankfurt, and in the German States as a whole, as it was a Revolution Year. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_revolutions_of_1848–1849 Could the turmoil of that era could explain the rarity of this particular date? we will never know. At any rate, a nice result from a leisurely stroll through an open air antique market - you never know what you will find. Please post your rare world coin cherry picks.
Cool coin. KM#329, 1848 2 Gulden, .900 silver, mintage-250,000, weight- 21.2100g or .6138 oz. I liked the lions.
Thank you! You know, besides the rarity (which I admit is a nice attraction of this coin), the historical significance is what appeals to me. The year 1848 what a momentous year in the German Bund. You have to wonder how the course of history may have been different if this first attempt at democracy had succeeded in Germany. Who knows what may have happened? Instead, it was brutally and mercilessly put down and supressed by the established monarchical powers. Berlin, 1848: Frankfurt - 1848:
Rare enough it's not on NGC's website! I think they pull from KM but I'm not sure about that. Anyway, it's a crazy good find and in quite nice condition given it probably hadn't been treated a coin of its stature ought to be.
Thank you, @TuckHard ! I had not thought of looking it up in the world coin catalog.. My German States catalog lists this date as: "RRR. LP (Liebhaber Preis). Has not been seen at least since the end of WWII".
