Lot 178

Gouden Dukaat 1815, Utrecht type (Sch.205), minted in St. Petersburg (Russia) for trade with Central Asia and India, twice countermarked respectively with an elaborate countermark with the Persian word ‘ra’ij’ (which means ‘current’) and date AH1234 (1818/19) over the right leg of the night and a countermark with ‘ra’ij’ within a toothed border over the left arm with bundle of arrows - Gold (3.44 g.) - host coin VF, countermarks good VF These countermarks were applied by the contemporary Durrani rulers of Afghanistan. The design of the countermark, dated AH1234 (vdWis D52) is only found on a Ducat dated 1818 in the National Numismatic Collection (NCC). Provenance: Jacques Schulman Auction 275 (1982) lot 659); the 2nd countermark is also represented in the NNC (Provenance: Christie’s Amsterdam (1988) The Joop Berkman Collection, lot 196). No specimens are known with two different ‘ra’ij’ countermarks. The fact that one of the countermarks is dated, indicates that both countermarks are contemporary. In the last auction #64 of Heritage Auctions Europe, a Ducat with the ‘ra’ij’ countermark within a toothed border, dated 1818 was offered and sold for € 1000. For a further detailed description and the historical background of this particular Ducats and the countermarks, see the accompanying text with lot 129 of HAE #64. Ra’ij’- countermarks are rarely found on gold coins and almost exclusively on Ducats dated 1818, which makes this coin dated 1815, twice countermarked with ‘ra’ij’ one of which is dated, of a great rarity and presumably even unique..