30064: Salzburg. Markus Sitticus gold 4 Ducat 1616 MS63

Salzburg. Markus Sitticus gold 4 Ducat 1616 MS63 PCGS, KM41, Fr-705, Probszt-911. 13.87gm. An exquisite example of this rare multiple ducat conveying a clarity and execution of design that would be the envy of many other issues of the period. Though considered somewhat unscrupulous by his contemporaries, particularly due to his callous attitude toward his cousin, the former Archbishop, who had been captured by Bavarian troops and forced to resign, Sitticus's portrait bears only sensitively rendered and expressive detail, a feature which similarly extends to the utterly sharp reverse design, crafted with uniform boldness down to the smallest features. It is of no surprise, then, that the offering, with its shimmering fields and soaring design motifs, ranks as the finest seen by either PCGS or NGC to-date. HID03101062020 © 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved