Netherlands Gold Ducats
1645 Utrecht

Owner Comments:

This coin is 300 years older than my dad. It is the penultimate year of the work of the die sinker Van Vloock, and only the second of the long–time mintmaster Johan Gerobulus. The ducats minted with Van Vloock dies are distinguished by the carelessness and clumsiness of details and numerous typographical errors. Some say he was drunk on the job. The presented specimen confirms this thesis. There are errors in punctuation on the coin – an extra dot in the TRA on the obverse, careless planning of the arrangement of the letters in the legend – the letter S in the word RES is punched under the knight's foot, as well as errors in writing the legend on the reverse – BELGA.A instead of BELG.AD. Although the coin does not fascinate with its beauty in such an obvious way as, for example, the ducats minted in Utrecht two years later, it is a great testimony to the short, but extremely interesting stage of the mint's activity. Later Utrecht ducats – although still minted by hand – are all visually homogeneous.

Mint Master: Johan Gerobulus
Die Engraver: Frederick van Vloock
CONCORDIA (.) RES . P – ARVÆ . CRES . TR . A (herb)
MO . ORDI / PROVIN / FOEDER / BELGA . A / LEGEM .