Rare ducat issue of Augustus III of Poland.
Variety with a beautiful, decorative coat of arms on the reverse.
Obverse: bust right
DG FRID AUGUST REX POL DUX SAX ICMA & W
Reverse: crowned, ornamental coat of arms, below the monogram FR of Friedrich the Great, King of Prussia and the initials IDB of Jan David Billert, the mintmaster
SAC ROM IMP ARCHIM ET ELECT 1757
Gold, diameter 22 mm, weight 3.46 g
For the first sixteen years of his reign, Augustus III Sas basically did not pursue any minting policy. It was not until 1749 that the decision was made to start producing copper szeląg and grosz coins. This task was carried out by three mints: in Dresden, Gruntal and Gubin. In 1752, Leipzig began producing gold coins (augustdors and ducats and their fractions and multiples), as well as silver coins (thalers, half-thalers, two-zloty coins, tymfs, orts, sixes, threes and one-and-a-half coins). From a formal point of view, putting mints issuing Polish coins into operation was illegal. The Polish Sejm did not consent to it. The same can be said about the activities of city mints in Royal Prussia. Gdańsk, Toruń and Elbląg started producing coins without asking for the consent of the Treasurer Karol Sedlnicki.
