By Mike Byers – MintErrorNews …….
Unique Gold Piefort -Nürnberg “1700” 2 Ducats
Collectors know Nürnberg’s 1700-dated Paschal Lamb gold as one of the classic trophy series in German numismatics. Yet one coin breaks the pattern. A unique gold klippe piefort of 2-ducat weight first entered the public auction record at Künker’s June 2007 Auction 125, Lot 976. Then, nearly two decades later, it returned at Heritage’s NYINC sale on January 12, 2026, where it realized $12,200.
Heritage catalogs the piece as a Nürnberg Free City gold klippe “Piefort” 2 Ducats, 1700-dated, struck in the 1755-1764 window under mint master Johann Martin Förster. The firm gives the coin a weight of 6.91 grams and a diameter of 20 millimeters. Just as important, Heritage calls the variant unlisted in the major references and cites it as Kellner-Unl and Erlanger-Unl, while comparing it only loosely with the regular Fr-1884 square 2-ducat issue. In other words, this coin does not sit inside the standard checklist. It sits beside it.
A familiar design, but a very different format
That distinction matters because the regular Nürnberg 2-ducat issues already command real respect. The round 1700 type, KM 259 / Fr-1882, weighs 7 grams, carries .986 fine gold, and measures 22 millimeters. The square klippe 2-ducat type, Fr-1884, uses a much broader 30 by 30 millimeter format. Both belong to the beloved Paschal Lamb series, which pairs the city’s arms on the obverse with the Lamb of God on a globe on the reverse. Numista’s legend translations sharpen the point: the obverse celebrates the new century, while the reverse asks the Father to crown the age with peace.
Now compare that familiar architecture with the piefort. A standard 1-ducat klippe from the same series weighs about 3.48 grams and measures 19 millimeters. This coin weighs 6.91 grams at 20 millimeters. So the flan stays close to 1-ducat dimensions, yet the mass jumps to 2-ducat standard. That contrast gives the piece its punch. At first glance, it looks like a normal klippe ducat. Then the thickness changes the whole story. Heritage recognized exactly that point when it described the coin as struck to 2-ducat specification on a double-thick, piefort-like flan rather than on the larger planchets used for the standard 2-ducat types.
Why the backstory lifts this coin above a simple rarity
The backstory gives the coin its wow factor. Nürnberg’s 1700 gold does not just mark a date. It announces a new century and wraps that message in peace imagery. The city arms, the dove, and the Paschal Lamb all work together as a civic statement. That already gives the regular series unusual charm. However, this piece pushes the idea further. It compresses a ceremonial, presentation-style statement into a smaller, thicker square format that feels more intimate and more deliberate. The result does not look like a routine denomination. It looks like a purpose-made object.
The pedigree adds another layer. Heritage explicitly traces the piece back to Künker Auction 125, Lot 976, from June 2007. Künker’s archive snippet also identifies that lot as a Nürnberg “dicke zweifache Dukatenklippe” dated 1700 and struck 1755-1764. That continuity matters. Rare coins often live on rumor. This one lives on a documented auction trail.
The market now treats these multiples as serious trophy coins
The broader market also helps explain why this piefort deserves attention now. On the same January 12, 2026 NYINC sale, Heritage sold a round Nürnberg 1700-dated 2 ducats in MS63 Prooflike NGC for $23,180. A round MS62 PCGS example brought $13,800 in January 2025. Another round MS62 NGC piece realized $14,640 in the 2026 NYINC session. Even the square 2-ducat klippe shows stronger long-term pricing than old catalog values once suggested; PCGS CoinFacts records a Heritage sale of an NGC MS64 example at $4,112 in January 2013. So this niche no longer belongs to specialists alone. It now attracts buyers who chase standout German gold across the top end of the market.
Nürnberg specialists already know another denomination-defying cousin
This coin also belongs to a wider family of Nürnberg oddities. On January 8, 2026, Frühwald offered a 1700-dated Nürnberg 3 ducats weighing 10.45 grams and cited Friedberg 1881a, which the catalog describes as unique. NumisBids recorded a 13,500-euro hammer for that lot. Frühwald’s terms state a 23% commission on investment-gold lots, which brings the total to €16,605. Using the ECB reference rate for January 8, 2026, that equals about $19,386. That result matters because it shows how seriously the market already takes denomination-defying Nürnberg gold.
The verdict
The unique Nürnberg “1700” gold piefort stands apart because it combines everything collectors want in one object. First, it carries one of the most charismatic designs in German States gold. Next, it breaks the expected format without losing the series identity. Then, it brings a documented auction pedigree that runs from Künker in 2007 to Heritage in 2026. Finally, it arrives in a market that now rewards elite Nürnberg multiples at a level that few collectors would have predicted a generation ago. For a world-class cabinet, or for a museum that wants one coin to tell a larger story about symbolism, format, and rarity, this piece makes a powerful case.
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