Gold Investment Coin Franz Joseph I. Ducat 1915 (newly minted)

Gold coin Ducat of Franz Joseph I 1915 New minting

Gold ducats were commercial coins issued in the years 1852 - 1915 in the territory of the Austrian Empire in the fineness 986/1000 Au (23.6 kt), weight 3.49 g and diameter 19.75 mm. Since 1915, all ducats have been referred to as official new mintings and their author was Friedrich Leisek.

On the reverse side of the ducat is the state emblem of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy used since 1815. It consists of a heraldic three-crowned eagle (two archduke crowns and one imperial) with golden armor. On its chest it bears the emblem of the Lorraine-Habsburg dynasty, around which the Order of the Golden Fleece is wrapped. In its right claw, the eagle holds a sword and a scepter, in its left claw an imperial orb. The description reads “HVNGAR • BOHEM • GAL • LOD • ILL • REX • ​​A • A • 1915 •”, the abbreviations of which symbolize the text: “Hungariae, Bohemiae, Galitiae, Lodomariae, Illyriae Rex Archidux Austriae”, which in translation means Archduke of Austria, King of Hungary, Bohemia, Galicia-Vladimir and Illyrian.

The obverse depicts a portrait of Franz Joseph I with a laurel headdress by the author Friedrich Lieske. The description of the coin reads “FRANC • IOS • I • D • G • AVSTRIAE • IMPERATOR”, the abbreviations of which symbolize the text: “Francisus Josephus I. dei gratia avstriae imperator” (translated as Franz Joseph I by the grace of God, Emperor of Austria).

The ducat is a gold commercial coin that was used until the 19th century. The name comes from the Latin word Ducatus - duchy. The origin of the ducat dates back to the 13th century in Venice, where merchants sold goods imported from the East to Europe. Originally, it was paid for with the Byzantine gold hyperpyrus, but after the Sicilian Rebellion of 1282, this was devalued and the Venetian government then began minting its own pure gold coins, which were derived from the florins, but with a slight increase in weight due to the differences in the weight systems of the two cities. The Venetian ducat contained 3.545 grams of 99.47% pure gold, the highest purity that medieval metallurgy could produce.

Western Europe then began minting its own coins with the figure of St. Ladislaus in the early 14th century, based on the florin. Emperor Ferdinand I then had gold coins named ducats with a gold content of 98.6%, and their purity made them acceptable throughout Europe. With the replacement of many portraits of the monarchs, ducats were minted until the 19th century. In the 20th century, the ducat, originally a commercial coin, became a coin for collectors and investors.