GERMANY. Bayern. Königreich. Ludwig I, 1825-1848. Dukat 1846 (Gold, 19 mm, 3.48 g, 12 h), so-called 'Flussgolddukat'. München (Munich). LUDOVICUS I - BAVARIAE REX Bare head of Ludwig I. Rev. EX AURO RHENI / MDCCCXLVI City view of Speyer across the Rhine. AKS 72. Beierlein 2716. Friedberg 276. Grabowski 78. Jaeger 126. Kirchheimer 53. Rare, a mintage of only 3,632 pieces. Lightly toned. Tiny scratches, otherwise, good extremely fine.


The magnificent 'Flussgoldukaten' ('River gold ducats' in German) had a long-standing tradition in Bavaria, dating back to 1756, when Elector Maximilian II (1811-1864) ordered the first Bavarian 'Flussgolddukaten' to be minted. This tradition continued until 1862. However, by the 19th century, the amount of gold extracted from the rivers had dwindled to just a few grams per year (cf. D. O. A. Klose / F. Jungmann-Stadler: Royal Bavarian Currency. Means of Payment and Finances in the Kingdom of Bavaria 1806–1918, p. 13). This explains the rarity of these small treasures of Bavarian monetary history.